Sexual & Gender Minority Competency in Oncology

Summary

Participation Requirements

Description

This study is a single-arm, open-label trial of a sexual and gender minority (SGM) competence training program at Wilmot Cancer Institute (Wilmot) and its regional care locations (e.g., Wilmot Medical Oncology, Wilmot Radiation Oncology, Gynecological Oncology, Highland Hospital, Pluta Cancer Center...

This study is a single-arm, open-label trial of a sexual and gender minority (SGM) competence training program at Wilmot Cancer Institute (Wilmot) and its regional care locations (e.g., Wilmot Medical Oncology, Wilmot Radiation Oncology, Gynecological Oncology, Highland Hospital, Pluta Cancer Center). Results will be descriptive in nature and will be used to inform a R01 grant application. The investigators will train Wilmot personnel (physicians, nurses, other providers, staff, and administrators) at each care location using a validated, two-hour long SGM curriculum created by the Fenway Institute and tailored for oncology. The investigators will collect data from all personnel on knowledge and attitudes about SGM patients before and after the training. Because competent communication may manifest in subtle, automatic, non-verbal processes, the investigators will also video record and analyze clinical interactions between SGM patients, heterosexual/cisgender (H/C) patients, and their oncologists. This study has four aims: Aim 1: To test whether a SGM competence intervention improves knowledge and attitudes among Wilmot personnel (on a 8 item questionnaire) from pre- to post-training. Aim 2: To explore patient satisfaction (on the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems, HCAHPS) in Wilmot care locations both before and after our SGM competence intervention. Aim 3: To explore patient stress (psychological distress on the Brief Symptom Inventory, anticipatory stigma on the Expectations of Rejection Scale, and experiences of discrimination on the Everyday Discrimination Scale) before and after a SGM competence intervention. Aim 4: To explore non-verbal synchrony by conducting Motion Energy Analysis (MEA) in video recordings of clinical discussions between SGM cancer patients and their oncologists vs. H/C cancer patients and their oncologists.

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