Creating a Culturally Competent Clinical Environment for LGBT Patients

Health administrators and educators working in clinical settings are often charged with cultivating a culturally competent clinical environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) patients. To better understand what constitutes such an environment, we conducted seven focus groups with health care providers and LGBT patients living in a Midwestern metropolitan area of the United States. Findings identified a culturally competent clinical environment consisting of structural components such as décor and patient flow, systemic components, such as mission statements, policies, and forms, and interpersonal components, such as a trusting provider-patient relationship. Strategies to create a more culturally competent clinical environment were identified.