Scripted for Her: Pharmacists’ Guide to Inclusive LGBTQ+ Patient Care

In this episode, Natalie DiPietro Mager, PharmD, PhD, talks with Alyssa Perry, PharmD, a community pharmacist with Montana Family Pharmacies and former resident at Full Circle Health, about bridging the gaps in health care for LGBTQ+ populations.

“I think starting with that understanding that you are never going to be the one that has all the answers or all the understanding is actually a very good grounding point,” said Perry. “Because then, you have to approach it from an area of what's important to you as a health care provider, and the answer to that for a lot of folks is compassion.”

Pharmacists are often the first point of contact in the health care ecosystem, yet data indicates that a large portion of LGBTQ+ individuals may avoid or postpone care due to past negative experiences or fear of stigma and discrimination. This episode explores how pharmacy professionals can reverse this trend by grounding their practice in empathy and intentionality.

Mager and Perry break down the “Providing Inclusive Care and Services for the Transgender and Gender Diverse Community” guide, a resource developed by the American Pharmacists Association and the Human Rights Campaign.

The episode also emphasizes that advocacy happens at every level, from the micro-actions of addressing a patient correctly at the counter to macro-level legislative involvement. By embracing the role of lifelong learners, pharmacists can ensure that every patient, regardless of their background or identity, receives the same quality standard of care.

Explore some of the resources mentioned in today’s episode:

• Providing Inclusive Care and Services for the Transgender and Gender Diverse Community: A Pharmacy Resource Guide
• Advancing LGBTQ+-Inclusive Care: How Pharmacists Can Better Support Patients
• Pharmacist guide for providing gender-affirming care: dispensing and beyond

Scripted for Her, a podcast from Drug Topics hosted by Natalie DiPietro Mager, PharmD, PhD, MPH, professor of pharmacy practice at Ohio Northern University, aims to help pharmacists provide comprehensive care and continuity of care within the women’s health space. All episodes of Scripted for Her are available in video format via DrugTopics.com on the third Wednesday of each month. Check out our most recent episode, Scripted for Her: Pharmacists Advocating for Women’s Health Research.