Episode 281 | The Time Is Now - Changing LGBTQ+ Discourse In Physical Therapy With Melissa Hofmann, PT, PhD, Karla A. Bell, PT, DPT, PhD(c), Chris Condran, PT, DPT, EdD
In my profession of physical therapy, the lack of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer-specific education has given rise to deficiencies in our cultural competence and our humility. When deficiencies exist in a profession’s educational system, as well as its continued education system, it can create a climate of discrimination and disparity. This ultimately leads to decreased access to health and effective healthcare.
In the context of chronic pain, which is what we discuss on this show, LGBTQ+ people are more likely to suffer from a long-term chronic pain condition than heterosexuals. To begin this episode, I would like to share with you a couple of reasons why this community or this population of people experience more pain before we meet our expert guests.
The first reason is that a larger portion of the LGBTQ+ community lacks access to health insurance or lives in poverty, more so than their heterosexual counterparts. They’re more likely to delay medical care or, at times, just forgo it completely because they can’t afford it or they simply just don’t have access to quality healthcare.