Abstract:

Introduction:
The Spanish Public Health System is designed to provide universal health services, prevention and social rehabilitation programmes to maintain the health and wellness status of all citizens. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, intersexual (LGBTI) individuals, however, have specific needs that may not be completely fulfilled by our current Healthcare services, due to its general dehumanization, institutional barriers, absence of specific formation for health professionals and other social reasons, which leads to certain health disparities and worse health outcomes. In this educational and social context, particularly for the clear necessity of filling the formation gap among health professionals, a specific Service-Learning based Final Degree Project (FDP) was designed and proposed. It offers the possibility of understanding the LGBTI social reality and its specific health requirements.

Aims:
To improve the health professionals’ overall formation regarding LGBTI reality and its peculiar health requirements by offering a new Service-Learning based Final Degree Project open to Pharmacy Higher Education students.

Design:
The team was composed of Pharmacy and Medicine Faculty Staff members and ONG members. The Final Degree Project consisted of two main parts. The first part was designed to be developed either at the University or at the ONG. The specific knowledge units were defined and the contents created. The content was structured in volunteering and health sections. The second section consisted of the community service at the ONG. Assessment was based on continued evaluation about specific and transversal competences, on the submitted FDP and the final dissertation. The Service-Learning based FDP is still offered to students.

Results:
A Service-Learning based Final Degree Project was created and offered to Higher Education students. The academic section approached Sexual Transmitted Infection prevalence in the LGBTI group, their prevention (including the PEP and PrEP pharmacological prophylaxis) and treatments, hormone therapy, Chemsex and illegal drugs and even drug-drug and drug-abuse substance interactions. The volunteering section, on the other hand, approached the Counselling methodology with people of differing sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. Special attention was dedicated to transgender individuals throughout the entire course.

Conclusions:
An innovative Service-Learning based Final Degree Project was offered. It contributes towards filling a content gap in the UCM Degrees, aiming to construct a humanised Health Service and to stimulate social inclusion.

Keywords:

Service-Learning, Social Inclusion, Higher Education, Vulnerable Individuals, LGTBI, Health System Humanisation.