Heterogeneity in the Desire to Undergo Various Gender-Affirming Medical Interventions Among Transgender People in Hong Kong: Findings from a Community-Driven Survey and Implications for the Legal Gender Recognition Debate

Heteronormativity and cisgenderism in medical training: A scoping review of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and plus (LGBTQ+) issues in medical training in Asia

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and plus (LGBTQ+) related health concerns in medical training have historically been underrepresented or largely omitted. This review goes beyond the Global North and is one of the first scoping reviews to take a regional approach to understanding LGBTQ+ issues in medical training in Asia, a region that millions of LGBTQ+ people call home. A scoping review of peer-reviewed articles published from 2000 to 2024 on LGBTQ+ issues in medical training (including medical, nursing and dentistry) in Asia was conducted. A diversity of attitudes towards LGBTQ+ issues were found among medical, dental, and nursing students. Negative attitudes, especially pathologization of LGBTQ+ people, were still evident. Despite receiving inadequate training from their medical curriculum, students generally showed a strong eagerness to learn more about LGBTQ+ healthcare to know how to act professionally. Although LGBTQ+ students perceived a supportive environment among their peers, there were constant worries about how they were perceived as doctors by attending physicians and patients. Medical, dental, and nursing educators in the identified studies had minimal knowledge of LGBTQ+ issues and limited experience working with LGBTQ+ patients. Articles found that LGBTQ+ issues were lacking in the formal medical curriculum, with very little consideration beyond strictly biomedical concerns. Importantly, this paper debunks the idea that Asia is uniformly negative and conservative on LGBTQ+ issues, highlights the importance of regionally and culturally specific factors in understanding the medical training environment, and provides suggestions for practice and further research. Altogether, this paper argues that there is an urgent need and a substantial opportunity to make medical training in Asia more LGBTQ+ inclusive.

Trans people perceptions of care received from healthcare professionals - A phenomenological study

Introduction

Trans people have unique health needs and turn to the public health system to meet them. Offering them a more inclusive assistance requires health professionals to know these needs and work on cultural competence. Understanding trans people perceptions of service received will improve therapeutic relationships and the assistance provided to them.

Objective

To understand trans patients experiences with health care and their perception of care rendered by the Andalusian Public Health System.

Design

A qualitative phenomenological study according to Ricoeur's hermeneutic approach.

Methodology

18 in-depth interviews were conducted between January and April 2022 with trans adult users of the Andalusian Public Health System. These interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and analyzed following the steps proposed by Tan. The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research was used for writing the study report.

Results

Three themes were generated from trans patients experiences in the Andalusian Public Health System related to the assistance provided to them: 1) Positive and negative feelings during their pass through the public health system, 2) The importance of being able to receive the care they need, and 3) Having the chosen identity in official documents in order to utterly complete their transition.

Conclusion

Care rendered by healthcare professionals to trans people was received as positive in mostly cases. However, trans people think these professionals need more training in order to avoid some behaviors they perceive as discriminatory and which they believe tends to pathologize gender identity. They also require more information about the treatments in particular they are about to receive and they demand to end drug shortages. Administrative procedures to change identity are also problematic. So the healthcare system must undergo some modifications in order to become more inclusive.