Clinical Environment
Creating a welcoming clinical environment
for all patients should begin at registration.
Establishing your patient’s name and pro-
nouns, as well as their sexual orientation
and gender identity, are important in medi-
cal care. Gender identity is independent of
sexual orientation and best determined by
a two-step method incorporated into a clin-
ic’s initial assessment that asks sex assigned
at birth (female, male, or decline to answer)
and current gender identity (female, male,
transgender female, transgender male,
gender diverse, additional gender category,
or decline to answer).
In addition, some patients may not be
comfortable talking about their sexual his-
tory, sex partners, or sexual practices. Some
patients may have experienced abuse or
trauma in their lives or while in a med ical
setting. Training in a trauma-informed
care approach can help all clinicians apply
patient-centered, sensitive care to all
interactions. Some patients may be exper-
iencing intimate partner violence and
seeking care for medical health concerns
could be their only opportunity to access
safe resources. Try to put patients at ease
and be prepared to link patients to nee ded
resources. Let them know that taking a