Sexuality as a SDOH Analysis Essay

Sexuality as an SDOH
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Sexuality as an SDOH
The LGBTQ community comprises all races and ethnicities, religions, and social classes. In most national or state-sponsored surveys, questions related to sexual orientation and gender identity are never asked, making it difficult to determine the precise number of LGBTQ members in the community. Besides, the lack of sufficient data on the LGBTQ community makes it difficult to address their health needs. Researchers postulate that LGBTQ individuals experience health disparities associated with societal stigma, discrimination, and denial of their civil and human rights (Healthy People 2010: A companion document for LGBT health). Besides, the continuous bias of LGBTQ members pushes them to develop psychiatric disorders, substance abuse, and suicide. Experiences of violence and victimization are existent for LGBTQ persons, and they have long-lasting ramifications on the individual and community, hence prompting the need to seek solutions that can improve the health outcomes of the LGBTQ community in my capacity as a PNP (Pediatric Nurse Practitioner).
Nurses interact with vulnerable populations daily, and the LGBTQ community deserves an advanced level of competence, sensitivity, and evidence-based knowledge. Nurses who employ the above three skills can meet the needs of the LGBTQ community with compassionate professionalism. In most cases, the LGBTQ community experiences stigma, which adversely influences the services they receive in health institutions. Nurses play a vital role in the success of any health organization in the world. Equity, quality, and patient-centered care are the primary aims of culturally competent LGBTQ care that can improve the health outcomes of the LGBTQ society.
Research suggests that there are various interventions that nurses can use to improve the health outcomes of the LGBTQ community (World Professional Association for Transgender Health, 2012). For example, nurses can proactively serve as formal and informal leaders by understanding the spectrum of tran...