People with sexual minorities, collectively referred to as LGBT, have been reported to be exposed to a variety of mental and physical health risks compared to those who do not.Appropriate education is considered indispensable for responding appropriately to these people in the medical field.However, it has not been clarified to what extent LGBT health issues are covered in Japanese medical education.

　This time, the group of Jikei University School of Medicine conducted a survey on LGBT-related education for medical students, targeting the directors of all medical schools in Japan, the presidents of medical universities, and the directors of pre-graduate education.

　Of the 59 Japanese schools that responded, 31 (52.5%) taught LGBT in preclinical education, 18 (30.5%) did not teach at all, and the teaching time is unknown. 10 schools (16.9%) answered.The median time spent on education was 1 hour, and the average time was 1.6 hours.

　Furthermore, in clinical education, 8 schools (15.1%) taught about LGBT, 25 schools (47.2%) did not teach at all, and 20 schools (37.7%) answered that the teaching time was unknown. So, the median time spent on education was 0 hours and the average time was 0.3 hours.

　On the other hand, in previous studies in the United States and Canada (conducted from 2009 to 2010), only 6.8% of schools did not teach LGBT in preclinical education and 33.3% in clinical education, and the median time spent on education was It was 4 hours and 2 hours for preclinical education and clinical education, respectively.An international comparison revealed that many schools in Japan's medical schools and medical colleges do not teach about LGBT, and that the number of hours of education is short.

　The results of this survey clarify the challenges for enhancing both quantity and quality of medical education related to LGBT in Japan.

Paper information:[BMJ Open] Cross-sectional survey of education on LGBT content in medical schools in Japan