Confidentiality article - PDF
Confidentiality article - HTMLUnderstanding the Issues
The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People: Building a Foundation for Better Understanding
Institute of Medicine: Published in 2011, this comprehensive report examines the health status of LGBT populations in three life stages: childhood and adolescence, early/middle adulthood, and later adulthood. For each stage, the report summarizes research in mental health, physical health, risk and protective factors, health services, and contextual influences.
Gender-affirming Care: What It Is and Why It's Necessary
Learning for Justice: This article provides background on the basic needs of transgender and nonbinary children and clarifies what gender-affirming care is and is not.
Guides, Kits, and Recommendations
Recommendations for Promoting the Health and Well-Being of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Adolescents
Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine: This position paper appeared in the Journal of Adolescent Health in 2013.
Office-Based Care for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Youth
American Academy of Pediatrics: This 2013 policy statement offers important background information for clinicians, including information on health disparities that LGBTQ youth may face. It also offers recommendations for clinicians working with adolescents.
Guidelines for Care of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Patients
Gay and Lesbian Medical Association: Health care providers can take positive steps to promote the health of their LGBT patients by examining their practices, offices, policies, and staff training for ways to improve access to quality health care for LGBT people. This handbook offers ideas to update your physical environment, add or change intake and health history form questions, improve provider-patient discussions, and increase staff's knowledge about and sensitivity to your LGBT patients.
Starter Guide: LGBTQ+ Youth-Friendly Services
Adolescent Health Initiative: This guide offers practices that can help us deliver the most respectful care and improve the experience of young LGBTQ+ patients. A glossary of terms and concepts as well as lists of resources are also included.
Guidelines for the Primary and Gender-Affirming Care of Transgender and Gender Nonbinary People
UCSF Center of Excellence for Transgender Health: Updated in 2016, these detailed guidelines equip primary care providers and health systems with the tools and knowledge to meet the health care needs of their transgender and gender nonconforming patients. See also Learning Center: Guidelines and Reports.
Standards of Care for the Health of Transsexual, Transgender, and Gender Nonconforming People
World Professional Association for Transgender Health: The Standards of Care provide clinical guidance for health professionals to help patients achieve lasting personal comfort with their gendered selves, in order to maximize their overall health, psychological well-being, and self-fulfillment.
Top Health Issues for LGBT Populations Information and Resource Kit
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): This kit presents an overview of health issues among LGBT populations.
Birth Control Across the Gender Spectrum
Reproductive Health Access Project: This resource explains different birth control methods for people across the gender spectrum, with a focus on the effects of different forms of birth control on those taking gender-affirming hormones such as testosterone.
A Practitioner's Resource Guide: Helping Families to Support their LGBT Children
SAMHSA: This guide offers information and resources to help practitioners throughout health and social service systems implement best practices in helping families and caregivers support their LGBT children.
10 Tips for Working with Transgender Patients
Transgender Law Center: The Center recognizes that many health care providers are eager to provide a safe, welcoming treatment environment for members of the transgender community, yet may not have had the opportunity to access information about the needs and experiences of this marginalized population. With this barrier in mind, the Center has created this pamphlet to help providers improve quality of care and provider-patient outcomes.
10 Ways to Make Your Health Center More Welcoming for Diverse Students
American College Health Association: This tip sheet offers ideas for creating health care environments that support diversity across gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, race, and language categories.
Ready, Set, Go! Guidelines and Tips for Collecting Patient Data on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center: LGBTQIA+ people experience significant health disparities and require preventive services and treatment interventions tailored to their unique needs. Yet health care providers often do not know the sexual orientation or gender identity (SO/GI) of their patients, which may lead to missed screenings, less effective counseling, culturally insensitive remarks, and other missteps. This guide is designed to help your health center successfully collect SO/GI data, no matter where you are in the process. For those just beginning, the guide can be used from start to finish. If you have already created a system but have encountered challenges and questions, this guide can help you address them.
Professional Development
Resource Center: Professional Training
The Center: The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center offers specialized training sessions and technical assistance for professionals who work with LGBT people in the New York City area.
National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center
Fenway Institute: The National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center provides educational programs, resources, and consultation to health care organizations.
Health HIV
Health HIV and National Coalition for LGBTQ Health: Programs include HIV Primary Care Training and Certificate Program™ and LGBTQ Health Training and Certificate Program™, among others.
Brochures and Tools
Q Cards
A communication tool for LGBTQ+ youth and health care providers, the Q Card is a tri-fold form that lets youth fill in their name, pronouns, sexual orientation, gender identity, and health concerns or questions. The bottom panel includes tips for health care providers.
Do Ask, Do Tell
National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center: This brochure explains why it is important for patients to disclose their sexual orientation and gender identity to health care providers.
Additional Resources
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health
New York State Department of Health: Here the AIDS Institute provides links to resources relating to LGBTQIA+ health and health care.
Resources: Medical
Gender Spectrum: This collection includes resources for working with patients and their families, and gender-inclusive practices. See also Resources: Mental Health.