Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Transgender and Intersex Individuals Among Medical Students and Health Care Providers of Karachi, Pakistan

Abstract

Background: Transgender and intersex individuals face numerous hurdles in accessing health facilities. Furthermore, there is no formal training for the provision of care for such a vulnerable population. This study explores the knowledge and attitude of medical students and Healthcare Providers (HCPs) about transgender and intersex individuals in Karachi. Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students of a government medical college and HCPs, from August to September 2019. A structured questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge and attitude of study participants, towards intersex and transgender individuals. Data were analyzed using SPSS 20. Results: Of the 200 participants, 171 returned the complete questionnaire with a response rate of 85.5%. There were 100(58.5%) females and 71(41.5%) males, with 93(54.4%) medical students and 78(45.6%) HCPs. All study participants were familiar with the term transgender, whereas 138(80.7%) reported having heard the term intersex, whereas 35(20.5%) regarded the conditions as a mental illness. Knowledge of PMC code regarding gender orientation was significantly higher in HCPs than medical students (41% vs 14%, p<0.001). Medical students were more in favor of corrective surgery to be performed (61.3%) as compared to the HCPs (43.6%) (p=0.02). Conclusion: Even though medical students and HCPs were familiar with transgender and intersex terms yet there were different misconceptions regarding them. However, our target population was willing to learn the healthcare needs of such individuals. It is recommended that the latest guidelines regarding gender spectrum are taught in the medical curriculum.