Researchers need to proactively engage lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in health studies and collect data on these populations to identify and better understand health conditions that affect them, according to a new report from the Institute of Medicine.
Understanding any population's status and needs is based on obtaining adequate demographic data. Therefore, federally funded surveys should proactively collect data on sexual orientation and gender identity, just as they routinely gather information on race and ethnicity, the report said.
Information on patients' sexual orientation and gender identity also should be collected in electronic health records, provided that privacy concerns can be satisfactorily addressed, the report said. The report also urges the National Institutes of Health to support the development of standardized measures of sexual orientation and gender identity for use in federal surveys and other means of data collection. NIH should also provide training opportunities in conducting research with LGBT populations, the report said.
Read the news release about the IOM report on the health status of LGBT populations.
Read other coverage about the IOM:
- Cost of Reform Unclear Until Benefits Are Defined
- IOM Releases Standards for Developing Clinical Practice Guidelines
- IOM Report Outlines Trends in Healthcare Cost
Understanding any population's status and needs is based on obtaining adequate demographic data. Therefore, federally funded surveys should proactively collect data on sexual orientation and gender identity, just as they routinely gather information on race and ethnicity, the report said.
Information on patients' sexual orientation and gender identity also should be collected in electronic health records, provided that privacy concerns can be satisfactorily addressed, the report said. The report also urges the National Institutes of Health to support the development of standardized measures of sexual orientation and gender identity for use in federal surveys and other means of data collection. NIH should also provide training opportunities in conducting research with LGBT populations, the report said.
Read the news release about the IOM report on the health status of LGBT populations.
Read other coverage about the IOM:
- Cost of Reform Unclear Until Benefits Are Defined
- IOM Releases Standards for Developing Clinical Practice Guidelines
- IOM Report Outlines Trends in Healthcare Cost