SUN-041 Hispanic Medical Student’s Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Transgender Patient’s Care

Abstract

Transgenders are characterized by having a gender identity and/or expression that is different from their sex at birth. There are guidelines about the proper management of this population. However, health disparities are still present. The lack of education and training about transgender care in the medical curriculum is one of the most significant contributors to these disparities. The aim of this study is to explore the knowledge and attitudes towards transgender care among Hispanic medical students at the University of Puerto Rico (UPR). Medical students (MS) from the UPR were invited to participate in an online anonymous questionnaire to assess their attitudes and knowledge about the healthcare of transgender patients. Data was analyzed as percentages and as means using Likert scale. Responses from pre-clinical and clinical MS were compared. A total of 141 participants were recruited. The majority of MS (80%) claimed to be exposed to transgender patients at least once. A total of 74% of MS reported feeling comfortable taking care of transgender patients. The overall Likert scale score for perceived knowledge about transgender topics among pre-clinical and clinical MS were 2.91 and 2.68, respectively. The scores for how comfortable students felt about working with transgender patients were 3.99 and 4.13 for both pre-clinical and clinical MS, respectively. Sixty percent of MS reported not being familiar with hormonal regimens used for gender reassignment therapy. Significantly more pre-clinical MS thought that discussing sexual behavior with transgender patients was more challenging than discussing it with heterosexual patients when compared to clinical MS (2.90 and 2.36 respectively; p=0.02). The majority of medical students (87%) believed that physicians are responsible for the treatment of transgender patients. Our study reveals that even though there is willingness to treat transgender patients among UPR medical students, there are limitations in their knowledge and training regarding specific healthcare topics. Strategies to improve MS knowledge and training about this topic must be considered.