Anatomy inventories help to identify care our patients need

Penn State Health patient-facing employees have a resource available to help them better understand the specific needs of each patient they care for. Anatomy inventories allow health care staff to document and track the presence or absence of specific organs and any surgical procedures to provide the highest level of patient-centered care and recommend appropriate health screenings.

An anatomy inventory – sometimes called an organ inventory – has particular uses especially when caring for transgender and gender-diverse patients. For instance, a transgender male patient – who was assigned female at birth – may have had a total hysterectomy, which in turn may reduce the need for gynecologic screenings such as an annual pap smear or pregnancy testing.

Using an anatomy inventory ensures that health care staff recommend screenings based on a patient’s individual anatomy and may help staff avoid unconscious bias and screening recommendations based on a patient’s name, pronouns or how they look and sound.

Anatomy inventories are helpful in understanding the needs of every patient – not only those who identify as trans or gender-diverse. When paired with the collection and use of a patient’s chosen name and pronouns, the anatomy inventory becomes another tool to help see and treat patients as they are – not based on any assumptions of who they might be.

Completing an anatomy inventory as a standard part of patient care helps ensure we provide patient-centered care and increases the positive perception of Penn State Health.

Employee resources available 

Here are some resources to help employees better understand an anatomy inventory and how to incorporate it into clinical workflow:

• Documenting Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity – LGBTQ Primary Care Toolkit
• Recommendations from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health
• Transgender Data Collection in the Electronic Health Record

Additionally, the Penn State Health Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has several print resources available to help employees understand why the health system asks for chosen name and pronouns.

To learn more about anatomy inventories or best practices when working with diverse patients, please contact Caanen Churukha, program manager for diverse patient experience in the Penn State Health Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

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