Web‐based LGBT cultural competency training intervention for oncologists: Pilot study results

Abstract

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) cancer patients experience substantial health disparities, including poorer overall health and lower satisfaction with their cancer care than their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts, which may be due in part to a lack of culturally competent providers. To address these disparities, a web-based LGBT cultural competency training tailored to oncologists was developed by an interdisciplinary team of scientists, LGBT cancer survivors, cultural competency experts, oncologists, a web designer, and an instructional designer. Oncologists (n=44) were recruited from 3 academic cancer centers in Florida. Participants were administered the LGBT cultural competency training Curriculum for Oncologists on LGBT populations to Optimize Relevance and Skills (COLORS) and completed pre- and posttraining measures regarding LGBT-related knowledge, attitudes (including general negative attitudes and health care-related attitudes), and clinical practices. After the training, participants completed training acceptability measures. Of the 44 participants, 33 (75%) completed the COLORS training. Participants were 55% non-Hispanic white, 63% male, and had a mean age of 47years. Participants demonstrated significant improvements in LGBT-related knowledge (t=-4.9, P<.001), attitudes (Z=-3.0, P=.002; t=-2.5, P=.019), and clinical practices (Z=-3.5, P<.001) after completing the COLORS training (Wilcoxon signed rank tests were used for nonnormally distributed variables). Moreover, training acceptability was high, with 82% of participants rating the training as high quality, and 97% being willing to recommend the training to a colleague. The COLORS training is both feasible to administer and acceptable for use with oncologists, and may improve oncologists' LGBT-related knowledge, attitudes, and clinical practices. Larger trials are needed to examine the training's effectiveness in reducing LGBT cancer disparities, as well as its applicability to other types of care providers.