The following is a summary of “Assessing Baseline Knowledge and Usage Patterns of Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity Affirming Electronic Health Record Modules Within a Urology Division at a Single Tertiary Care Institution,” published in the October 2023 issue of Urology by Ding, et al.

For a study, researchers sought to assess the utilization of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI)-affirming Electronic Health Record (EHR) modules, designed to facilitate seamless location and documentation of patient SOGI data, among providers and staff within a urology practice.

A Qualtrics-based survey comprising 39 questions was administered to all 120 patient-facing providers/staff within a tertiary urology program. The survey covered cultural competency, baseline knowledge of SOGI EHR modules, and patterns of SOGI module usage. Cultural competency was measured using the LGBT-Development of Clinical Skills Scale (LGBT-DOCCS).

The survey, completed by 96 qualified providers/staff (response rate: 89%), revealed that only 25% received training on locating/collecting SOGI data in the EHR. Respondents exhibited high levels of LGBTQ attitudinal awareness (M = 6.38/7) but demonstrated low clinical preparedness (M = 4.32/7), primarily due to perceived inadequate training for working with LGBTQ patients. Clinical preparedness was influenced by respondent role and the number of LGBTQ patients seen in the past year, despite reporting ease in finding SOGI data, providers/staff, especially physicians, infrequently utilized formal SOGI documentation tools. Participation in SOGI EHR training significantly increased the likelihood of using formal SOGI documentation tools.

The study underscored the high general LGBTQ cultural competency among providers/staff and their ability to locate relevant SOGI data in the EHR. However, it highlighted limited training in SOGI-affirming EHR tools and infrequent use of formal documentation tools. The findings presented a potential framework for evaluating the adoption of SOGI-affirming EHR features in urology practices as these functionalities gain popularity.

Source: goldjournal.net/article/S0090-4295(23)00567-8/fulltext