Abstract
Purpose: Members of the transgender community face significant health disparities within our society, especially within the state of West Virginia, which is primarily rural. We sought to examine and compare existing attitudes and knowledge of resident and faculty physician medical professionals at our institution about treating transgender individuals within a rural tertiary care center.Methods: The Medical Practitioner Attitudes Towards Transgender Patients (MP-ATTS) survey and the Medical Practitioner Beliefs and Knowledge about Treating Transgender Patients (MP-BKTTP) survey were sent to all faculty and resident physicians at West Virginia University Hospitals. Demographics included information about gender, rurality of hometown, race, and description of medical practitioner status (i.e., years out of residency, residency status).Findings: In general, there were positive attitudes and reception of the survey among residents and faculty physicians. 76.45% of providers assumed that their patients were not transgender. More than 40% of respondents believed that they would need further education about transgender patients to provide appropriate health care. Male health care providers had significantly higher negative perceptions of the transgender community (N=85, M=4.46, standard deviation [SD]=0.55, p<0.0001) and perceived fewer barriers due to personnel (N=80, M=3.24, SD=0.96, p<0.0001).Conclusion: A clear need exists for increased training in transgender health care among physicians taking care of this patient population. A gender divide exists among health care providers within West Virginia over attitudes regarding the transgender community. Further studies are needed to fully understand the health care needs and barriers of the transgender population.
Highlights
Members of the transgender community face significant health disparities within our society
In 2011, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) issued a report which states that do the transgender population experience health care disparities when compared with their cisgender peers, the type and extent of these disparities vary across age and specific orientation.[1]
Strong positive patterns of endorsement were seen for items such as Transgender patients deserve the same level of quality care from medical institutions as cisgender patients (84% strongly agree), I would prefer not to treat transgender patients (69% strongly disagree), and I am willing to treat transgender patients within my scope of practice (69% strongly agree)
Summary
Members of the transgender community face significant health disparities within our society. In 2011, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) issued a report which states that do the transgender population experience health care disparities when compared with their cisgender peers, the type and extent of these disparities vary across age and specific orientation.[1] the transgender community are more likely to avoid or delay seeking health care compared with heterosexuals.[2] They are less likely to have health insurance coverage than their cisgender counterparts,.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
