Accessing and utilising gender-affirming healthcare in England and Wales: trans and non-binary people’s accounts of navigating gender identity clinics
Abstract Background Transgender, or trans, people experience a number of barriers to accessing gender-affirming healthcare and have a range of barriers and facilitators to primary care and specialist services, commonly citing discrimination and cisgenderism playing a central role in shaping accessib...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2021-06-01
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| Series: | BMC Health Services Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-021-06661-4 |
| _version_ | 1818956826066026496 |
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| author | Talen Wright Emily Jay Nicholls Alison J Rodger Fiona M Burns Peter Weatherburn Roger Pebody Leanne McCabe Aedan Wolton Mitzy Gafos T. Charles Witzel |
| author_facet | Talen Wright Emily Jay Nicholls Alison J Rodger Fiona M Burns Peter Weatherburn Roger Pebody Leanne McCabe Aedan Wolton Mitzy Gafos T. Charles Witzel |
| author_sort | Talen Wright |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Transgender, or trans, people experience a number of barriers to accessing gender-affirming healthcare and have a range of barriers and facilitators to primary care and specialist services, commonly citing discrimination and cisgenderism playing a central role in shaping accessibility. The pathway through primary care to specialist services is a particularly precarious time for trans people, and misinformation and poorly applied protocols can have a detrimental impact on wellbeing. Method We recruited trans participants from an HIV Self-Testing Public Health Intervention (SELPHI) trial to interviews which explored contemporary gender-affirming service experiences, with an aim to examine the path from primary care services through to specialist gender services, in the UK. Results A narrative synthesis of vignettes and thematic analysis of in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with twenty trans individuals. We summarise positive and negative accounts of care under three broad categories: Experiences with primary care physicians, referrals to gender identity clinics (GICs), and experiences at GICs. Conclusions We discuss implications of this research in terms of how to improve best practice for trans people attempting to access gender-affirming healthcare in the UK. Here we highlight the importance of GP’s access to knowledge around pathways and protocols and clinical practice which treats trans patients holistically. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T11:00:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3955203a422a4c67a7ea16ff8b7bd622 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1472-6963 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T11:00:07Z |
| publishDate | 2021-06-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Health Services Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-3955203a422a4c67a7ea16ff8b7bd6222022-12-21T19:43:02ZengBMCBMC Health Services Research1472-69632021-06-0121111110.1186/s12913-021-06661-4Accessing and utilising gender-affirming healthcare in England and Wales: trans and non-binary people’s accounts of navigating gender identity clinicsTalen Wright0Emily Jay Nicholls1Alison J Rodger2Fiona M Burns3Peter Weatherburn4Roger Pebody5Leanne McCabe6Aedan WoltonMitzy Gafos7T. Charles Witzel8Division of Psychiatry, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College LondonDepartment of Public Health, Environments and Society, London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineInstitute for Global Health, University College LondonInstitute for Global Health, University College LondonDepartment of Public Health, Environments and Society, London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineNAMMRC Clinical Trials Unit, University College LondonDepartment of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineDepartment of Public Health, Environments and Society, London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineAbstract Background Transgender, or trans, people experience a number of barriers to accessing gender-affirming healthcare and have a range of barriers and facilitators to primary care and specialist services, commonly citing discrimination and cisgenderism playing a central role in shaping accessibility. The pathway through primary care to specialist services is a particularly precarious time for trans people, and misinformation and poorly applied protocols can have a detrimental impact on wellbeing. Method We recruited trans participants from an HIV Self-Testing Public Health Intervention (SELPHI) trial to interviews which explored contemporary gender-affirming service experiences, with an aim to examine the path from primary care services through to specialist gender services, in the UK. Results A narrative synthesis of vignettes and thematic analysis of in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with twenty trans individuals. We summarise positive and negative accounts of care under three broad categories: Experiences with primary care physicians, referrals to gender identity clinics (GICs), and experiences at GICs. Conclusions We discuss implications of this research in terms of how to improve best practice for trans people attempting to access gender-affirming healthcare in the UK. Here we highlight the importance of GP’s access to knowledge around pathways and protocols and clinical practice which treats trans patients holistically.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-021-06661-4Transhealthcare experiencesQualitative researchMental health |
| spellingShingle | Talen Wright Emily Jay Nicholls Alison J Rodger Fiona M Burns Peter Weatherburn Roger Pebody Leanne McCabe Aedan Wolton Mitzy Gafos T. Charles Witzel Accessing and utilising gender-affirming healthcare in England and Wales: trans and non-binary people’s accounts of navigating gender identity clinics BMC Health Services Research Trans healthcare experiences Qualitative research Mental health |
| title | Accessing and utilising gender-affirming healthcare in England and Wales: trans and non-binary people’s accounts of navigating gender identity clinics |
| title_full | Accessing and utilising gender-affirming healthcare in England and Wales: trans and non-binary people’s accounts of navigating gender identity clinics |
| title_fullStr | Accessing and utilising gender-affirming healthcare in England and Wales: trans and non-binary people’s accounts of navigating gender identity clinics |
| title_full_unstemmed | Accessing and utilising gender-affirming healthcare in England and Wales: trans and non-binary people’s accounts of navigating gender identity clinics |
| title_short | Accessing and utilising gender-affirming healthcare in England and Wales: trans and non-binary people’s accounts of navigating gender identity clinics |
| title_sort | accessing and utilising gender affirming healthcare in england and wales trans and non binary people s accounts of navigating gender identity clinics |
| topic | Trans healthcare experiences Qualitative research Mental health |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-021-06661-4 |
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