Pronouns indicate a person’s gender for which they identify and how they wish to be identified by others – which may or may not differ from their sex assigned at birth. Commonly used gender pronouns include he/him/his, she/her/hers, they/them/theirs, or a combination of pronouns. Respecting an individual’s gender pronouns is important in everyday life and health-care settings to help the patient feel safe and acknowledge that their gender identity will be respected as part of their care.
While patients have been able to affirm their sexual orientation, sex assigned at birth, and gender identity through their MyLGHealth accounts, providers did not have a way to identify their pronouns with patients. Recently providers advocated for their gender pronouns to be visible on “Find a Doctor,” Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health’s online listing of providers. Find a Doctor provides community members access to search online for the physician or health-care provider that is right for them.
“I added my pronouns to my “Find a Doctor” site to show allyship with the LGBTQ+ patients I care for,” said Jeffrey R. Martin, MD, Chair, Department of Family and Community Medicine. “It is just one way for me as a physician to recognize and signal that I am a safe provider, and I will try my best, in a non-biased way, to recognize the varied gender identities and sexual orientations of my patients. And in a small way helps alleviate the potential fear and vulnerability that LGBTQ+ persons sometimes feel when accessing health care resources.”
The LG Health Web Services team, which oversees LG Health’s Find a Doctor application, collaborated with colleagues across Penn Medicine to expand this change beyond LG Health.
“This change was immediately welcomed and implemented across the Penn Medicine system”, said Colleen Parran, manager, Digital Content and Project Management. “We are proud to support our LG Health providers to initiate this simple but impactful change”
Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health has defined Diversity, Equity and Inclusion goals to ensure all LG Health locations foster an inclusive environment and fully embrace diversity of staff. Included in these system-wide goals is ensuring LGBTQ+ employees are supported by promoting an inclusive climate and culture so they can freely express their multi-faceted and personal identities.