Assessing the current practice and implementing a revised sexual orientation and gender identity tool for a primary care office

Background: The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ+) population has historically experienced health disparities at rates disproportionate to heterosexuals. These disparities can be attributed to the lack of standardized sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data in electronic health records (EHR). When this information is excluded from patients' records, providers cannot formulate a comprehensive understanding of their patients and are, therefore, unable to provide high-quality care to the LGBTQ+ community.Purpose: The purpose of the quality improvement (QI) project was to assess, identify, implement, and change how comprehensive SOGI information is collected and stored in the patient’s EHR at a primary care practice in Northern New Jersey.Methods: The co-investigator collected and analyzed pre/post-implementation data on SOGI demographic collection. The degree of change significance was analyzed for whether there was an improvement in the rate of SOGI collection at the practice.Results: A total of 100 patient charts were reviewed. After the implementation of the protocol, documentation of SOGI demographics in all areas had improved all with p-values of (p= 0.00). More specifically for pronouns from 3% to 46% (t= -8.31), sexual orientation from 5% to 54% (t= -8.488), and gender identity from 5% to 52% (t= -9.015). All of these areas showed a statistically significant improvement in the documentation of the post-intervention SOGI demographic data. Implications For Practice: The use of a standardized SOGI tool has improved the assessment and documentation of SOGI data, patient-providers communication, minimized health disparities, and improved the quality of care for LGBTQI+ individuals. Keywords: sexual orientation, gender identity, SOGI, LGBTQ+, SOGI tool