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Respect patient autonomy with proper pronoun usage and gender-affirming care

Monday, August 22, 2022 | Posted in GEHA Connection Dental Network News

Respect patient autonomy with proper pronoun usage and gender-affirming care

Inclusive language can improve your practice’s quality of care.

Caring for each other and members are two cornerstone values at GEHA Connection Dental. GEHA encourages providers to implement best practices and provide gender-affirming care across the dental disciplines of the GEHA Connection Dental Network. Inclusive language may not only improve patient satisfaction and retention, but also the quality of care.
Here are some ways to provide gender-affirming care:

  • Make note in the patient records to provide the opportunity for patients to quietly alert both clinicians and staff to preferred pronouns and the appropriate name.
  • Record a patient’s legal name, preferred name and pronouns.
  • Use correct pronouns and focus on the issue that brought the patient in for care.
  • Train staff to respect a person’s pronoun and name choice.
  • Reach out to local LGBTQ+ center for resources to raise staff awareness about gender-affirmation.
  • Have an all-gender restroom available for patients.
  • Be mindful of prefixes, such as Ms., Mr., Mrs. or sir. Try to avoid the misuse of prefixes.

To learn more, visit:
American Psychiatry Association – Best Practices
American Psychiatry Association – Terminology
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Preferred terms

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