LGBTQ+-Inclusive Language Missing in Acne Assessment

TOPLINE: 

An analysis of acne-specific patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) identified LGBTQ+-noninclusive language in four of nine measures, with heteronormative terms used in three of six measures addressing intimate relationships. 

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted an inductive thematic analysis of 22 PROMs for acne, identified through a PubMed search.
• LGBTQ+-inclusive language was defined per the National Institutes of Health style guide.
• The analysis included 16 PROMs: Nine were acne-specific with 56 relevant items, four were dermatology-specific with 28 items, and four were health-related with 43 items.

TAKEAWAY:

• LGBTQ+-noninclusive language was identified in four of nine acne-specific PROMs — the Acne Disability Index (ADI), Acne Quality of Life Scale (AQOL), Acne-Quality of Life (Acne-QoL), and Cardiff Acne Disability Index (CADI) — but not in health-related or dermatology-specific PROMs.
• Among PROMs addressing intimate relationships, three of six acne-specific measures (CADI, ADI, and Acne-QoL) used heteronormative language, while three acne-specific PROMs, three dermatology-specific PROMs, and one health-related PROM used nonheteronormative terminology (such as “partner”).
• All PROMs contained items with nongendered pronouns (such as “I” or “you” instead of “he” or “she”). However, the AQOL included gendered language (“brothers” and “sisters,” rather than “siblings”).
• Two acne-specific PROMs demonstrated partial LGBTQ+ inclusivity, incorporating some but not all LGBTQ+ identities.

IN PRACTICE:

“Using LGBTQ+-inclusive language may promote the acquisition of accurate and relevant data for patient care and clinical trials and even enhance patient-clinician relationships,” the authors of the study wrote. “While demographics such as sex, age, race, and ethnicity are commonly considered during patient-reported outcome development and validation,” wrote the authors of an accompanying editorial, the study highlights that “sexual orientation and gender identity should also be considered to ensure these measures have similar performance across diverse populations.” 

SOURCE:

The study was led by Twan Sia, BA, Department of Dermatology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Redwood City, California. The authors of the editorial were John S. Barbieri, MD, MBA, Department of Dermatology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, and Mya L. Roberson, MSPH, PhD, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Both were published online on December 4 in JAMA Dermatology. 

LIMITATIONS:

The study was limited to the analysis of only English-language PROMs. 

DISCLOSURES:

Two study authors disclosed receiving grants or personal fees from various sources, including pharmaceutical companies outside the submitted work. Barbieri disclosed receiving consulting fees from Dexcel Pharma and Honeydew Care; Roberson disclosed receiving consulting fees from the National Committee for Quality Assurance.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.