Establish an Inclusive LGBTI Health Care Provision: Make a stand against stigma, discrimination and inequalities

"<< Background >>Access to healthcare is a fundamental right at the International and European level. Evidence indicates that LGBTI individuals still face strong healthcare inequalities which result in poor health and negative consequences for their well-being. LGBTI people have a significantly higher risk of well-being implications such as depression, anxiety, minority stress and social isolation. A survey from the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) indicated that in 2020 overall more LGBTI people felt discriminated (43%), and the percentage was lower in 2012 (37%). In 2020, 42% of the surveyed LGBTI people answered that they would not be open about their sexual orientation with any healthcare professional. In addition to this, 16% of LGBTI people responded that they had perceived discrimination when in contact with health care or social services (FRA, 2020).<< Objectives >>The main aim of the INSIGHT project was to promote common values, inclusion, equality and participation through acquiring new competences, skills and guidelines about best practices regarding LGBTI people and their needs when accessing the health sector. Therefore, the project aimed to empower awareness, recognition and acceptance of the factors that affect LGBTI people's well-being and physical health, to promote and to enhance digital transformation in HEI by creating a flexible learning material. As the long title expresses ""Establish an Inclusive LGBTI Health Care Provision: Make a stand against stigma, discrimination and inequalities"" the INSIGHT project wanted to contrast inequalities, stigma and discrimination that are still visible today in EU countries, but not only. In order to reduce the stigma associated with the healthcare system through a process of increased awareness and understanding of multiple identities, the INSIGHT project intended to raise the level of knowledge on LGBTI issues among students enrolled in health courses as future health professionals, but also among health professionals and all those working in different capacities within the health system. << Implementation >>The activities implemented by the INSIGHT project have been the following: - Project Management activities and Coordination, to ensure effective management of resources, time and budget and a good communication with the consortium and all the participants; - Transnational meeting; - Quality Assurance activities; - Development of a Good Practices Guide (PR1) on LGBTI-friendly and inclusive provision of Healthcare services; - The INSIGHT Microlearning Programme (PR2); - The INSIGHT Massive Open Online Course (PR3); - Dissemination activities: Stakeholder Identification, dissemination Plan, INSIGHT project Website, INSIGHT Social Media Channels, dissemination materials, 6 multiplier events and an International Final Conference.<< Results >>The effective and concrete outputs of the INSIGHT project are in line with the submitted proposal and can be identified as primary and secondary. The primary outputs developed are:- PR1: Good Practices Guide: The major aim was to develop a Good Practices Guide which identifies what kind of support HEI healthcare undergraduate students and current healthcare professionals need to embrace LGBTI people and have a positive and more respectful impact on their well-being. The input of the Guide has been used also as a part of other training courses;- PR2: INSIGHT Microlearning Programme based on 4 modules that will address the well-being but also the physical health issues that can characterize LGBTI people’s lives;- PR3: INSIGHT MOOC: A 100% freely accessible Virtual Learning Environment containing learning materials, workshops, and online assignment on LGBTI issues.The secondary outputs developed are:- Newsletters;- Promotion materials (t-shirts, posters, roll-up banners etc).The quality of the project and its activities attracted the attention of an artist painter from Cagliari, who is also a student at a master degree course in psychology at the University of Turin, who decided to donate one of his paintings to the project. Given the positive response and the beauty of the work, several copies were printed and donated to the speakers at the final conference."