Providing LGBTQ+ affirming care to young adults with inflammatory bowel diseases

Cade Johnson; Sneha Dave; Sydney Reed; Victor Chedid; Lucy Laube; Laura Targownik

doi:10.1016/j.hctj.2023.100030

Providing LGBTQ+ affirming care to young adults with inflammatory bowel diseases

Health Care Transit. 2023 Nov 30:2:100030. doi: 10.1016/j.hctj.2023.100030. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Cade Johnson¹, Sneha Dave¹, Sydney Reed¹, Victor Chedid², Lucy Laube³, Laura Targownik⁴

Affiliations

¹ Generation Patient, Crohn's and Colitis Young Adults Network, United States.
² Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Director of IBD Pride Clinic, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States.
³ National Psoriasis Foundation, Crohn's and Colitis Young Adults Network, United States.
⁴ Departmental Division Director (Gastroenterology and Hepatology), University of Toronto, Past Chair, Diversity and Equity, Canadian Association of Gastroenterology, Staff Gastroenterologist, Mount Sinai Hospital (Toronto), Canada.

Abstract

Creating an affirming care environment for young adults with IBD in the LGBTQ+ community is an essential part of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) care. This article summarizes the discussions held during the Roundtable on Young Adults with IBD, which focused on essential information for adult-care providers to successfully navigate the complexities and intricacies of sexuality and gender identity for young adult IBD patients. The Roundtable on Young Adults with IBD is held through the Crohn's and Colitis Young Adults Network. Key focus areas include establishing effective communication between providers and patients, maintaining patient safety and privacy, emphasizing trauma-informed practices, and building trust-based provider-patient relationships. Addressing these issues will allow providers to more fully and effectively treat LGBTQ+ young adults with IBD, ensuring a better, safer path into successful adult lives.

Keywords: Adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease; LGBTQ+ and inflammatory bowel disease; LGBTQ+ youth with inflammatory bowel disease; Young adults with inflammatory bowel diseases.