3 8 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 9
If you believe it's time to make your facility more inclusive to
patients of all sexual orientations and gender identities, here are
17 tips on how to reach that goal.
1. In your marketing materials, make it clear that you wel-
come LGBTQIA2S+ patients. Display a rainbow flag on your
materials and your website. If at all possible, the photos on your
website and in your collateral should show gay/lesbian/bisexual
couples, and trans people in addition to straight couples and
cisgender people. Semantics matter. If the name of your facility
is gender-exclusive — for example, "The Women's Surgery
Center" — you are basically telling trans men and nonbinary
individuals that they're not welcome.
2. Particularly if your bathrooms are one-person, why not post
gender-inclusive restroom signs? Nonbinary and trans patients
should not be stressed about which room to use.
3. In every way possible — and I really can't stress this enough —
accept and respect your patients' identities as they know them to
be — not necessarily as the government or an insurer sees them.
On your intake form, in person or both, ask every patient, "How
would you like for me to refer to you?" This includes both their
name and their pronouns. To show you're inclusive, consider list-
ing your own pronouns on your badge.
If you have trouble wrapping your mind around the importance
of this, imagine that your physician insists on calling you Peter
even though your name is Paula. How likely would you be to
return to that provider? Addressing patients by the name and
All Patients Should Feel Welcome
INCLUSIVE IDEAS
