Table 5.
Representative free-text comments from respondents
| Important personal experiences treating LGBTQ patients |
| “We have had a long-time patient prefer to be known by a different name, and change to they/them pronouns, and it was a bit of a difficult adjustment because we had known them for so long. But the team has worked hard to recognize their pronouns and name change.” |
| “We treat many transgender patients — I have found that it is very important to take into account gender identity and sex assigned at birth when developing treatment plans, including when based on prevalence of disease.” |
| “Providing gender-affirming care, including using preferred pronouns, always allows for a more productive visit.” |
| “Bone health is incredibly important for those that have transitioned and taking hormones or for those that are female sex and identify as male. I’ve had many women who have transitioned express their frustrations with providers not knowing how to take care of their body in the way of sexual health, STDs, cancer screenings, and orthopaedic care.” |
| Reservations in treating LGBTQ patients |
| “I don’t want to accidentally offend anyone.” |
| “I feel like I might do something ‘wrong’ unintentionally.” |
| “No personal reservations, but lack of overall knowledge and recognizing my own discomfort to make sure patient feels seen and heard in a way that is not stigmatizing or presumptuous.” |
| “Have not received much training in this area.” |
| “I don't think it's necessary to discuss gender identity and sexual orientation in a pediatric orthopaedic clinic visit for an acute injury. I would like to have ways to show support without asking invasive questions.” |
| Suggestions or additional comments on how to improve orthopaedic care for LGBTQ patients |
| “More education.” |
| “It would be preferential to know if they prefer a different pronoun or identify as a different gender than their assigned gender, as well as if they prefer a different name than their legal name.” |
| “More poster/signage identifying us LGBTQ+-friendly providers.” |
| “More questions [on intake forms] about gender identity/sexual orientation. Recognize that hormones/HRT are going to affect how a patient recovers from fracture repair/other surgical intervention.” |
| “Need much more research in this area.” |
| “Own the bone. Important to recognize fragility fractures in at-risk populations, which includes LGBTQ+.” |
LGBTQ = lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer.