Heteronormativity and cisgenderism in medical training: A scoping review of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and plus (LGBTQ+) issues in medical training in Asia

Abstract

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and plus (LGBTQ+) related health concerns in medical training have historically been underrepresented or largely omitted. This review goes beyond the Global North and is one of the first scoping reviews to take a regional approach to understanding LGBTQ+ issues in medical training in Asia, a region that millions of LGBTQ+ people call home. A scoping review of peer-reviewed articles published from 2000 to 2024 on LGBTQ+ issues in medical training (including medical, nursing and dentistry) in Asia was conducted. A diversity of attitudes towards LGBTQ+ issues were found among medical, dental, and nursing students. Negative attitudes, especially pathologization of LGBTQ+ people, were still evident. Despite receiving inadequate training from their medical curriculum, students generally showed a strong eagerness to learn more about LGBTQ+ healthcare to know how to act professionally. Although LGBTQ+ students perceived a supportive environment among their peers, there were constant worries about how they were perceived as doctors by attending physicians and patients. Medical, dental, and nursing educators in the identified studies had minimal knowledge of LGBTQ+ issues and limited experience working with LGBTQ+ patients. Articles found that LGBTQ+ issues were lacking in the formal medical curriculum, with very little consideration beyond strictly biomedical concerns. Importantly, this paper debunks the idea that Asia is uniformly negative and conservative on LGBTQ+ issues, highlights the importance of regionally and culturally specific factors in understanding the medical training environment, and provides suggestions for practice and further research. Altogether, this paper argues that there is an urgent need and a substantial opportunity to make medical training in Asia more LGBTQ+ inclusive.