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1-Rosquete

One of the ways nurses can help reduce challenges in the LGBTQ community is through helping to implement policies and laws in health institutions through sexual orientation non-discriminatory guidelines. Once they are formulated, they should be communicated to all the employees in the hospitals to educate them on the existence of this group among the patients and how they should treat them to avoid any form of discrimination. Also, the management should communicate to them the various actions that the organization is likely to take in case these laws are violated.

The second way is through reprimanding to ensure that no one goes unpunished in case of any discriminatory actions against the patient who identifies as LGBTQ in the healthcare facility. If the organization does not have any formal non-discriminatory policy, then it should come up with one and communicate it to every department in the organization (Köllen, 2016). Also, the organization should prohibit invasion of privacy, emotional distress, defamation and harassment of this particular groups in the health facility. And the occurrence of any of these should be reacted upon efficiently. Such laws and punishments are likely to scare away any employees who could be thinking of any form of discrimination against the LGBTQ community.

Education is another strategy that can be employed to solve the issues. First, the management of health institutions should create awareness in the institution on the existence of the transgender and how they should be handled in the organization. Also, through sensitivity training classes, health experts, and other workers can recognize any discriminatory practices that may affect the well-being of the LGBTQ community as they receive health services in the institution (Taylor & Haider-Markel, 2014). Similarly, the LGBTQ patient must be taught about their rights and what they should do in case any of their rights and freedoms are violated. With such knowledge, it would be easier for all workers to be on the lookout to ensure that they do not cross their lines. Furthermore, the LGBTQ patient would be aware of their rights as patients and take appropriate steps whenever they are discriminated against by any health official.

Essential VII, Interprofessional Collaboration for Improving Patient and Population Health Outcomes, relates to the topic we are discussing this week because it claims that the quality of patient care is improved when members of the health care team work in collaboration to share their unique patient care perspectives. Each profession enters into practice with different skill sets, knowledge, and professional identities to enhance the care of the patient, yet many barriers exist between disciplines that can obstruct a team-based system.

References

Köllen, T. (2016). Sexual Orientation and Transgender Issues in Organizations: Global Perspectives on LGBT Workforce Diversity. Cham: Springer International Publishing.

Taylor, J. K., & Haider-Markel, D. P. (2014). LGBTQ rights and politics: Groups, issue framing, and policy adoption. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

2-alberto alfonsp

There are numerous challenges the U.S. health care system is facing, one of which is treatment of the LGBTQ community.  One of the major social trends is the growth of the LGBTQ population. According to Meerwijk and Sevelius (2017), there are about 390 LGBTQ adults per 1000,000. This population is expected to increase significantly in the near future.

            One area where the NP can improve and promote advocacy for the LGBTQ community is in reproductive services.  LGBTQ people have the right to safe abortion services, access to contraceptives, sexually transmitted infections (STI) testing and a range of other health services free from stigma, discrimination or coercion.  People who identify as LGBTQ can get pregnant, and young lesbian and bisexual women disproportionately experience unintended pregnancy.

            The NP can help provide accurate, comprehensive sex education to young LGBTQ people, and they can also help spread information about bias and misrepresentation of the LGBTQ population to community leaders.

            The NP may also begin by advocating for research that focuses on the group and on its structural factors. It can be said that a lack of research in one’s community can greatly affect and increase, among others, the percentage of homosexuals with HIV infections. For instance, one may conduct evidence-based practice projects in his or her community to see the percentage of cases that arise due to genetics, health behaviors, and social characteristics of the community (Page, 2012); factors which may influence the number of HIV cases. Afterwards, one may push for educational programs in one’s healthcare facility that inform HIV infected LGBTQ individuals how to prevent opportunistic infections. This may be accomplished by training nurses to provide appropriate educations to individuals struggling with the infection. Lastly, one could strive to educate nurses on the healthcare organization on the importance of treating members of the LGBTQ community with the same care given to other patients with the goal of preventing discrimination against the community (De Leon, 2015). This may be achieved by conducting a mandatory educational class on the topic for all healthcare providers in one’s organization. With this in mind, the Essential that most relates to this topic is the first Essential which focuses on a student’s background knowledge of Sciences and Humanities. This Essential is important because as stated in this discussion, the principle highlights the importance of following the nursing process and evidence-based practice for safe and effective patient-centered care (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2011).

References 

American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2011). The Essentials of Master’s Education in Nursing. Washington, DC: Author American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Retrieved from http://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/42/Publications/MastersEssentials11.pdf

Carabez, R. M., Eliason, M. J., & Martinson, M. (2016). Nurses’ Knowledge about LGBTQ 

            Patient Care. Advances in Nursing Science, 39(3), 257-271. 

            doi:10.1097/ans.0000000000000128.

De Leon, E. (2015). Gay and Racial/Ethnic identities, perceived discrimination, and participation in collective action. Available from ProQuest Central. (1767386662). Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/1767386662?accountid=158399

Page, M. J. (2012). Community level factors and HIV among marginalized populations in the united states. Available from ProQuest Central. (1040846909). Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/1040846909?accountid=158399