Medical student clinical cultural awareness in cancer care of sexual gender minority patients

Health disparities in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ+), or sexual and gender minority (SGM) people are known. SGM people have higher cancer risk, but lower rates of screenings, resulting in a higher likelihood of late-stage disease. This study evaluates medical students’ clinical cultural awareness in cancer care of SGM patients to identify gaps in education. This was a cross-sectional survey distributed to medical students at a academic center. There were 38 questions on demographics, attitudes, and knowledge of SGM topics. Descriptive statistics were used for demographic information and stratified analyses assessed responses by demographic subgroups. There were 238 responses from 1145 students (response rate = 20.7 %). Of the responders, 91.2 % and 79 % were comfortable treating lesbian, gay, bisexual (LGB) and transgender patients respectively. Only 28.6 % and 21.8 % were confident treating LGB and transgender patients respectively after taking the survey. 91.2 % of students were interested receiving education regarding SGM health needs. While most medical students are comfortable treating LGBTQ+ patients, most are not confident in their knowledge. This difference is most profound in knowledge of transgender patients. Schools must provide more education in SGM topics to improve student knowledge to produce competent providers. •Medical students are willing to care for sexual gender minority (SGM) patients.•There are gaps in student knowledge of SGM patient cancer risk and screening.•Medical students are less confident in their knowledge of transgender patient care.•There is a need for student education in SGM patient cancer care.