How Seattle Reproductive Medicine grew their practice with EngagedMD

Providing inclusive care for all patients is of fundamental importance in fertility—and though many clinics and companies have made strides, there’s still work to be done. As we collectively work to increase access to care, we must continue to ensure that patients across all genders, sexual orientations, racial and ethnic identities, ages, anatomy, and disabilities have the positive patient experience they are entitled to. Every patient deserves to feel represented, knowledgeable, comfortable, and confident with their treatment plan and healthcare experience. At EngagedMD, we've been working hard to offer more inclusive patient resources, and we're excited to share these as well as some tips we've learned along the way.

Inclusivity makes a difference

Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”

Recent studies published by ASRM demonstrate how inclusivity in the healthcare setting impacts patient experience and mental health. These studies found significant barriers for marginalized populations seeking fertility treatment, especially LGBTQ+ and ethnically diverse groups. Some reported barriers for patients include limited reproductive health awareness across minority patients and heteronormative practices, among others. This anonymous patient quote illustrates the impact that exclusive representation can have on patients:

How can we do better

According to the ASRM Ethics Committee, it is the “ethical duty to treat persons with equal respect,” and “services provided by fertility clinics should be consistent across patients irrespective of marital status, sexual orientation, or gender identity.” If patients don’t feel supported, they may opt to discontinue treatment or switch to a practice where they feel better supported.

The small shift in language really doesn’t cost us anything. And yet, it will earn healthcare providers so much currency in patient trust, which translates to better outcomes.

Patients' experiences can be significantly impacted by straightforward changes from all parties involved in the patient journey, from EMRs to patient education providers to clinics themselves. Patients, regardless of their background or circumstances, are looking for:

• The most medically accurate information that is easily digestible
• Treatment as an individual in a unique situation
• Cultural awareness, compassion, humility, and understanding
• The best outcome possible

Our job is to partner with patients throughout their care, starting with making them feel comfortable, included, and cared for.

How EngagedMD is working towards inclusivity

At EngagedMD, one of our core values is integrity, which we live out by choosing to “Do the Right Thing.” Another is growth – we’re eager to learn and evolve to improve our offerings and help clinics provide exceptional patient experiences.
Last year, with both values in mind, we began a project to audit and update our content to be more inclusive. We partnered with fertility inclusivity expert Trystan Reese and his team at Collaborate Consulting to review our content with a lens of racial justice and LGBTQ+ inclusion. As always, we developed this content with medical accuracy at the forefront.
We’re excited to present our new releases from this project: a completely updated version of the following New Patient and Treatment modules: