Shukla Anubhuti, Yalamanchi Sriha, Tamayo-Cabeza Guillermo, Albright Amanda, Weber Zachary A, Newton April D
Department of Dental Public Health and Dental Informatics, Indiana University School of Dentistry, Indianapolis, IN, United States of America.
Indiana University Interprofessional Practice and Education Center, Indianapolis, IN, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2025 Jan 9;20(1):e0313492. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0313492. eCollection 2025.
Disproportionate access to healthcare services among the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning and others (LGBTQ+) population can be partially attributed to the lack of cultural competence among healthcare providers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of an interprofessional model in improving cultural competence and clinical preparedness among dental and pharmacy students for providing LGBTQ+ specific care.
This study is a retrospective observational study which used a novel interprofessional model of three different LGBTQ+ focused educational interventions within a group of dental and pharmacy students. The study used pre- and post-surveys, Assessment of Interprofessional Team Collaboration Scale (AITCS-II) and the Team Observed Structured Clinical Encounter (TOSCE) evaluations to assess the effectiveness of the interventions. Descriptive statistics, Fisher's exact test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Welch test, Kruskal-Wallis Test, and pairwise Wilcox Test were employed to analyze quantitative data while qualitative insights were gathered from evaluator comments and student feedback.
The study evaluated cultural competence among 154 dental and pharmacy students revealing improved cultural humility post-intervention, particularly for dental students although not statistically significant (p>0.05). Students participating in multiple interventions had higher mean scores, but the differences were not significant (p>0.05). Significant differences were found among interprofessional teams of students in the domains of roles and responsibilities (p = 0.039) and patient centered approach (p = 0.039). No significant differences were found in individual scores participation in the teams (p = 0.018). Students also provided positive feedback on the program's impact on their understanding of LGBTQ+ health issues and inclusive care.
This program was a novel intervention aimed at improving cultural competence for health professional students in an interprofessional environment Further research in the direction can be useful in creating replicable programs.
女同性恋、男同性恋、双性恋、跨性别者、酷儿或疑问者及其他群体（LGBTQ+）在获得医疗服务方面存在不均衡现象，部分原因可归结为医疗服务提供者缺乏文化能力。本研究的目的是评估一种跨专业模式对提高牙科和药学专业学生在提供LGBTQ+特定护理方面的文化能力和临床准备情况的影响。
本研究是一项回顾性观察研究，在一组牙科和药学专业学生中采用了一种新颖的跨专业模式，包括三种不同的以LGBTQ+为重点的教育干预措施。该研究使用了前后调查问卷、跨专业团队协作评估量表（AITCS-II）和团队观察结构化临床遭遇（TOSCE）评估来评估干预措施的有效性。采用描述性统计、Fisher精确检验、Wilcoxon符号秩检验、Welch检验、Kruskal-Wallis检验和成对Wilcox检验来分析定量数据，同时从评估者评论和学生反馈中收集定性见解。
该研究评估了154名牙科和药学专业学生的文化能力，结果显示干预后文化谦逊有所改善，尤其是牙科专业学生，尽管差异无统计学意义（p>0.05）。参与多种干预措施的学生平均得分较高，但差异不显著（p>0.05）。在学生跨专业团队中，在角色和职责领域（p = 0.039）和以患者为中心的方法领域（p = 0.039）发现了显著差异。在团队中个人得分参与度方面未发现显著差异（p = 0.018）。学生们还对该项目对他们理解LGBTQ+健康问题和包容性护理的影响给予了积极反馈。
该项目是一项新颖的干预措施，旨在提高跨专业环境中健康专业学生的文化能力。在这个方向上的进一步研究可能有助于创建可复制的项目。
