Dataset Information

"I Don't Want to Spend the Rest of my Life Only Going to a Gender Wellness Clinic": Healthcare Experiences of Patients of a Comprehensive Transgender Clinic.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Transgender individuals are less likely to have had a primary care visit in the last year than cisgender individuals. While the importance of multidisciplinary clinics for transgender care has been established, little is known about the healthcare experiences of transgender patients with these clinics.

Objective

To describe how patients experience transgender clinics and how these experiences compare to those experiences in other settings.

Participants

Twenty-one adult patients of a gender health program.

Design and approach

Semi-structured interviews of transgender patients. The interviews focused on two domains: healthcare experiences and relationships with healthcare providers.

Key results

Overall, transgender patients expressed a need for healthcare services, particularly for primary care, that are partially met by the comprehensive care clinic model. Limitations in access included the lack of willing providers, where the patients live, and long wait times for appointments. Participants recounted a range of experiences, both positive and negative, with providers outside of the transgender clinic, but only positive experiences to share about providers from the transgender clinic.

Conclusion

Outside specialty transgender settings, many patients had negative experiences with providers who were unwilling or unable to provide care. This study speaks to the need for primary care providers who can and will treat transgender patients, as well as the need for healthcare spaces that feel safe to transgender patents.

SUBMITTER: Lee JL

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8809217 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

"I Don't Want to Spend the Rest of my Life Only Going to a Gender Wellness Clinic": Healthcare Experiences of Patients of a Comprehensive Transgender Clinic.

Lee Joy L JL Huffman Monica M Rattray Nicholas A NA Carnahan Jennifer L JL Fortenberry J Dennis JD Fogel Janine M JM Weiner Michael M Matthias Marianne S MS

Journal of general internal medicine 20220202 13

<h4>Background</h4>Transgender individuals are less likely to have had a primary care visit in the last year than cisgender individuals. While the importance of multidisciplinary clinics for transgender care has been established, little is known about the healthcare experiences of transgender patients with these clinics.<h4>Objective</h4>To describe how patients experience transgender clinics and how these experiences compare to those experiences in other settings.<h4>Participants</h4>Twenty-one ...[more]

PMID: 35112278

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundSecondary use of health data is important for public and individual health due to its potential to drive research and healthcare improvement; however, there are challenges to be managed from a socio-ethical, legal and technological perspective. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore knowledge, experiences and perspectives of key stakeholders towards secondary use of health data in Ireland, with a specific focus on the challenges with secondary use.MethodsThe study employed a qualitative cross-sectional approach in accordance with the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) guidelines. Thirty-five people participated in the study, with seven participants in each of the five focus groups: academics and researchers; healthcare professionals; data controllers, ethics and privacy experts; industry group; and patients and public. Two thirds of the sample were female, and over half of participants were between 35 and 54 years of age. Participants were recruited through purposive and snowballing method. Data was collected through focus group discussions, transcribed and analysed thematically.ResultsThe participants across all study groups were supportive of secondary use of health data; however, significant challenges were identified. The four main categories of challenges were related to (1) health data use, (2) ethics, (3) health data ecosystem and (4) social inequalities. Specifically, insufficient collection and low quality of health data, alongside issues regarding access, linking and sharing are a significant barrier to effective secondary use. This is further complicated by complex ethical approval processes and requirements around data protection. The fragmented national Information Technology (IT) and data infrastructure and limited resources further hamper secondary use, and concerns about low health literacy among the public and negative experiences with the healthcare system influence patients' willingness to share data for secondary use.ConclusionsThis study identified the multi-layered and intersecting challenges in the Irish health data ecosystem around secondary use, and highlighted the need for structural improvements, reform of ethical processes, integration of disadvantaged communities, and education and awareness-raising among the public. A careful consideration of these challenges on a national level is required to enable effective secondary use of health data.

Project description:BackgroundMore information is needed about gender-affirming surgery (GAS) in the Philippines because of many self- or peer-prescribed gender-affirming procedures among transgender people.AimTo assess the desire of transgender adults for GAS, determined the prevalence, and evaluated factors associated with the desire.MethodsWe did a retrospective study of medical charts of 339 transgender men (TGM) and 186 transgender women (TGW) who attended clinical services at Victoria by LoveYourself, a transgender-led community-based clinic in Metro Manila, from March 2017 to December 2019. The medical charts were reviewed to ascertain data on gender dysphoria (GD), clinical and sociodemographic characteristics, health-seeking behaviors, and gender-affirmation-related practices, including the use of gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT). We also estimated the prevalence and explored factors associated with the desire for GAS using generalized linear models with a Poisson distribution, log link function, and a robust variance.Main outcome measuresOur primary outcome was the self-reported desire for GAS.ResultsAlmost half were already on GAHT, of whom 93% were self-medicating. Our study's prevalence of GD is 95% and nearly 3 in 4 desire GAS. The prevalence of desiring GAS was related to the specific surgical procedure chosen. Transgender adults opting for breast surgery and genital surgeries have 8.06 [adjusted prevalence ratio, (aPR): 8.06; 95% Confidence Interval, (CI): 5.22-12.45; P value < .001] and 1.19 (aPR: 1.19; 95% CI: 1.11-1.28; P value < .001) times higher prevalence of GAS desire, respectively, compared with otherwise not opting for those procedures. Moreover, the prevalence of GAS desire was higher among patients with GD (aPR 1.09; 95% CI: 1.01-1.18; P value = .03) than individuals without GD.Clinical translationProviders' awareness of patients' desires, values, and health-seeking preferences could facilitate differentiated guidance on their gender affirmation.Strengths and limitationsThis quantitative study is the first to explore gender-affirming practices among transgender adults in the Philippines and provide significant insights into their healthcare needs. Our study focused only on TGM and TGW and did not reflect the other issues of transgender people outside of Metro Manila, Philippines. Furthermore, our retrospective study design may have missed essential predictors or factors not captured in the medical charts; hence, our study could never dismiss confounding factor bias due to unmeasured or residual confounding factors.ConclusionsThere is a high prevalence of self- and peer-led attempts from TGM and TGW to facilitate the gender transition, with the desire for GAS being significantly associated with GD and by which specific surgical procedure is chosen. Eustaquio PC, Castelo AV, Araña YS et al. Prevalence and Factors Associated With Gender-Affirming Surgery Among Transgender Women & Transgender Men in a Community-Based Clinic in Metro Manila, Philippines: A Retrospective Study. Sex Med 2022;10:100497.

Dataset Information

"I Don't Want to Spend the Rest of my Life Only Going to a Gender Wellness Clinic": Healthcare Experiences of Patients of a Comprehensive Transgender Clinic.

Background

Objective

Participants

Design and approach

Key results

Conclusion

Publications

"I Don't Want to Spend the Rest of my Life Only Going to a Gender Wellness Clinic": Healthcare Experiences of Patients of a Comprehensive Transgender Clinic.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets