Leveraging SOGI & REAL Data to Advance Equity in Behavioral Health

The webinar was hosted by the California Institute for Behavioral Health Solutions (CIBHS), and co-sponsored by the California Primary Care Association (CPCA) and the County Behavioral Health Directors Association of California (CBHDA) as a part of Delta Center California initiative.

[DaRyteJuan]

38:07 These are a lot of good advancements in cultural sensitivity especially as they relate to expanding the fields in the EHR. As a database developer, there was hardly ever a reason to have taken so long to have implemented these adaptations.

Unfortunately, even with better SOGI practices, many providers treat this like a license to bash right through a patient’s right to privacy. For example, SOGI stands for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. However, the SO portion only captures a person’s orientation, not necessarily their behavior(s), per se. Maybe they’re not sexually active or otherwise do something other than what their orientation is. Many “gay men” are married to women and are raising children together.

Another example is a patient who considers themself straight but may have had a same-sex encounter. By itself, SOGI wouldn’t capture this. And even if there are a set of fields to capture this information, it would be easy to understand why most patients wouldn’t want to disclose it in any kind of permanent record. Accordingly, it’s important not to pressure patients either. This is highly detrimental to the relationship.

[DaRyteJuan]

41:27 As far as changing “Preferred Name” to “Chosen Name, ” I somewhat disagree with this nomenclature. “Chosen Name” tends to give the impression this is not their “real name.” For example, if someone has an unusual name, people tend to ask, “Did your parents name you that? Or is that a chosen name?” This question puts the person being asked on the defensive as if the name their parents gave them was “the real name, ” and the one the person chose for themself was somehow less than “real.”

“Name You Go By” is probably better. Or “Name Most People Call You” or “People Know You As.” Maybe *“Familiar Name”* is the best short label.