Electronic Consultations as an Educational Tool to Improve the Care of Transgender Patients in Primary Care.

Electronic consultations (eConsults) have demonstrated benefits in many areas of clinical care including educational value for primary care clinicians (PCCs). It has been shown that few PCCs have knowledge and confidence to manage transgender and gender non-binary (TGNB) patients. In this report, we explored the impact of eConsults submitted to a TGNB specialist panel on PCC experience and on their education on TGNB-related topics. We conducted a retrospective review of de-identified data from the RubiconMD electronic consultation platform used by PCCs in 36 U.S. states for eConsults submitted to the TGNB specialty. We found that 90% of eConsults were from federally qualified health centers, other community clinics, and rural areas. Primary care clinicians reported outcomes as "educational" for 50% and "improved care plan" for 88% of eConsults. These results suggest that eConsults play an important role in educating PCCs on TGNB care and may also lead to improved PCC and patient experiences.

Cigarette smoking and lesbian and bisexual women in the Bronx.

This study investigated the prevalence of cigarette smoking, smoking patterns, and smoking cessation efforts of Black and Hispanic lesbian and bisexual women from a poor, urban community. One-on-one interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of 130 self-identified Black and Hispanic lesbian and bisexual women from the Bronx, NY. Bivariate statistics were used to determine differences between Black and Hispanic respondents in smoking prevalence, frequency, desire to quit, and impact on family unit. Fifty-five percent of Black respondents and sixty-two percent of Hispanic respondents were current smokers. Hispanics were more likely than Blacks to have a partner (p < 0.04), 2 or more children (p < 0.05), and an asthmatic in their household (p < 0.02). Hispanics were less likely than Blacks to have ever attempted to quit (p < 0.04) and to have made a serious attempt to quit in the past year (p < 0.02). Culturally sensitive interventions are needed to help Hispanic lesbian and bisexual women move from the pre-contemplative to action stage of quitting. The large proportion of current smokers requires greater access to effective smoking cessation tools.