A Research Letter from The Fenway Institute published online in JAMA highlights a striking lack of information related to sexual and gender minority (SGM) health services and policies on US hospitals websites. Findings from “Information about Sexual and Gender Minority Services and Policies on US Hospital Websites” suggest that hospitals have significant opportunities to ensure their online presences are more inclusive and affirming for SGM people.
The letter can be read online here.
The researchers analyzed the websites of 346 hospitals across the US, representative of all adult and pediatric hospitals in states with varying levels of legal protections for SGM people. Key findings include:
- 77% of adult hospital websites featured SGM-inclusive non-discrimination policies, but only about 25% of adult hospital websites provided SGM-related health resources (such as general educational or information about SGM-related organizations), maintained an SGM-friendly clinician directory, and provided details on hospital-based SGM-specific services.
- In contrast, pediatric hospitals showed better performance, with 58.7% offering SGM-related resources and 60.9% providing information on SGM-specific services on their websites.
- Compared with hospitals in states with a high level of policy protections for SGM people, those located in states with a negative SGM policy environment were:
- 36 percentage points less likely to have an SGM-friendly directory on their website
- 26 percentage points less likely to post SGM-related resources
- 29 percentage points less likely to provide information on hospital-based, SGM-specific services
“We found that only one-quarter of adult hospital websites had an SGM-friendly clinician directory and provided information about SGM-related resources or hospital-based services,” said the lead author of the study, Sahil Sandhu, MSc, a Harvard Medical School student conducting research with The Fenway Institute. “It’s particularly concerning that hospitals in states with more discriminatory policies are less likely to provide this information online, given that SGM people in these jurisdictions often avoid healthcare due to fear of discrimination.”
“While it’s encouraging that most hospitals feature SGM-inclusive non-discrimination policies on their websites, the lack of comprehensive SGM-specific resources online raises concerns about access to care,” said Dr. Alex S. Keuroghlian, Director, Division of Education and Training at The Fenway Institute and senior author of the study. “The scarcity of clear and comprehensive information about available SGM-focused services and policies can deter patients from seeking necessary healthcare. As the fundamental rights of SGM people face increasing threats from new state laws, our study serves as a call to action for healthcare leaders to demonstrate their commitment to SGM health and health equity through their online presence.”