Rapidly expanding gender-affirming care based on consensus instead of evidence justifies rigorous governance and transparency.

OBJECTIVE: Public services offering gender-affirming care to minors have rapidly expanded across Australia. Despite limited evidence of safety and efficacy, no public information about these services is routinely available. Data from freedom of information requests sent to Australian public gender services for minors is summarised. Gender service numbers increased rapidly in Queensland (2017:190 - 2022:922) and in Victoria (2019:472 - 2023:1290). Limited transparency prevented strong confidence in the number of patients receiving hormone therapy. Staff FTE employed by gender services jumped after 2020 in NSW (to 16.7 across two sites in 2023), Queensland (to 11.4 in 2023), Victoria (to 9.4 in 2022), and WA (to 10.2 in 2023). CONCLUSIONS: Despite low confidence in their safety and efficacy, the number of patients seen by public gender services has expanded rapidly since 2018. Limited transparency makes it difficult to judge the number of patients seen, treatments provided, and outcomes achieved. Safe, effective care of this vulnerable group requires clear treatment goals, and annual reporting.

Guías para el abordaje de infancias y adolescencias trans en el primer nivel de atención / Guidelines for approaching trans children and adolescents at primary care level / Recomendações para lidar com pais de crianças e adolescentes trans no primeiro nível de atenção

Introducción: en muchas oportunidades el/la pediatra o médica/o de familia será la primera persona a la que consulten los niños/as y adolescentes trans a fin de plantear sus dudas y experiencias, por lo tanto es fundamental que el/la profesional aborde en la consulta esta temática sin prejuicios, con una mirada actualizada en el marco de los derechos de niñas, niños y adolescentes. Objetivo: brindar herramientas para un adecuado acompañamiento y seguimiento en la atención en salud a las infancias y adolescencias trans en el primer nivel de atención. Metodología: para la elaboración de esta guía se hizo una revisión bibliográfica en Pubmed y Scielo. Se realizó dicha búsqueda desde 2010 a la fecha con el prescriptor "infancias trans", "adolescencias trans", en inglés y en idioma español. Resultados: se elaboraron guías para el abordaje en la atención en el primer nivel de atención de niños/as y adolescentes trans aportando herramientas para la historia clínica, teniendo en cuenta la entrevista, el examen físico y el abordaje multi e interdisciplinario. Conclusiones: las experiencias trans en las infancias y adolescencias no deben ser miradas desde un enfoque patologizador sino como vivencias legítimas. El/la profesional de la salud juega un rol fundamental en la función de acompañamiento y como garante de sus derechos promoviendo la autonomía en la toma de decisiones.

Introduction: many times pediatricians or family doctors are the first people trans-children and adolescents consult and raise questions and experiences to. Therefore, it is key for doctors to have an unbiassed approach to this issue in the consultation, with an updated view of the framework of children and adolescents. Objective: provide tools for proper health care support and follow-up ifor trans children and adolescents at primary care. Methodology: for the preparation of these guidelines, we made a bibliographic review in Pubmed, Scielo. This search was carried out from 2010 to date using "trans children", "trans adolescents" prescribers, in English and in Spanish. Results: guidelines were created for primary care regarding the care of trans children and adolescents, providing tools for medical records and considering the interview, the physical examination and the multi-interdisciplinary approach. Conclusions: trans experiences in childhood and adolescence should not be viewed from a pathologizing perspective, but rather as legitimate experiences. Health professionals play a key role in accompanying and guarding the rights of children and adolescents and promoting their autonomy in decision-making instances.

Introdução: em muitas ocasiões, o pediatra ou médico de família é a primeira pessoa que as crianças e adolescentes trans consultam para compartilhar suas dúvidas e vivências, por isso é fundamental que ele aborde a consulta sobre esse assunto sem preconceitos, com uma perspectiva atualizada no marco dos direitos de crianças e adolescentes. Objetivo: fornecer ferramentas para suporte e acompanhamento adequados no atendimento da saúde de crianças e adolescentes trans no primeiro nível de atenção. Metodologia: para a elaboração deste guia, foi feita uma revisão bibliográfica no Pubmed, Scielo. A pesquisa com as palavras "crianças trans", "adolescentes trans", vem sendo realizada desde 2010 até hoje em inglês e espanhol. Resultados: foram elaboradas diretrizes para a abordagem do cuidado no primeiro nível de atenção a crianças e a adolescentes trans, fornecendo instrumentos para a história clínica, levando em consideração a entrevista, o exame físico e a abordagem multidisciplinar. Conclusões: as experiências trans na infância e adolescência não devem ser vistas a partir de uma abordagem patologizante, mas sim como experiências legítimas. O profissional de saúde tem papel fundamental na função de acompanhamento e como garantidor de seus direitos, promovendo autonomia na tomada de decisões.

Creating Breast and Gynecologic Cancer Guidelines for Transgender Patients With BRCA Mutations.

More than 1.5 million individuals in the United States identify as transgender. Transgender individuals have lower rates of health care utilization and higher rates of health care discrimination than cisgender patients. With a growing interest in providing comprehensive and compassionate care to the transgender community, there has been a concurrent increase in research on transgender health. However, lack of long-term data limits understanding the effects of hormone therapy on cancer risk factors in this population. This is particularly relevant for patients with hormonally mediated cancers and those at elevated risk from hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndromes. Few cancer-screening and management guidelines currently exist for this population. Specific practices guided by the nuances of gender identity and gender-affirming care are essential to improve clinical management and to avoid further alienating a population that is already marginalized from the health care system. This commentary summarizes screening, management, and surveillance strategies devised for cisgender patients to offer corresponding recommendations tailored for transgender BRCA mutation carriers. In doing so, it highlights critical unanswered questions pertaining to the care of these patients. To address these questions, we must prioritize this population and adopt more inclusive frameworks in medicine and research.

Requirement of mental health referral letters for staged and revision genital gender-affirming surgeries: An unsanctioned barrier to care.

BACKGROUND: The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) recommends referral letters from two mental health providers within one year of gender-affirming genital surgery (gGAS) to ensure patient readiness before primary surgeries. Many U.S. health insurance plans will not authorize second- and third-stage surgeries or revision surgeries without two referral letters. Such requirements are not supported by WPATH guidelines. OBJECTIVES: This study investigates insurance requirements for referral letters and their negative impact on care. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed all gGAS cases over a 4-year period at our tertiary care medical center. Referral letter requirements for insurance authorization were documented. The nation's largest insurance companies, including commercial, state-, and federally funded plans, were contacted to confirm requirements. We prospectively recorded time needed to complete insurance authorization for a patient subset. WPATH publications were reviewed. RESULTS: Nearly all reviewed U.S. health insurance plans required annually updated referral letters for each gGAS procedure, including staged and revision surgeries. No updated letters changed clinical management. Referral letter requirements delayed care. WPATH states that letters should not be needed for staged surgeries. Some plans required letters even for initial surgical consultation, a practice not supported by WPATH. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Insurance companies' requirements for referral letters impede care and contradict WPATH guidelines. We advocate that, at minimum, referral letters should not be required for surgical consultations or for staged or revision surgeries after a patient has already had first-stage primary gGAS. Universal referral letter requirements provide minimal clinical value, delay care, increase costs, and exacerbate gender dysphoria by invalidating gender transition. As with all procedures, surgeons themselves should be responsible for assessing patients' surgical readiness. Significant changes in mental health status or social situation should prompt surgeons to seek reassessment. WPATH recommendations regarding referral letters should be clarified and consolidated into a single document.

Trans and gender diverse people's experiences of healthcare access in Australia: A qualitative study in people with complex needs.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to explore the experiences of healthcare access in a diverse sample of trans and gender diverse individuals with complex needs using qualitative methods. We recruited 12 individuals using trans community-based networks facilitated by the Gender Centre. Each individual participated in an in-depth, semi structured interview conducted by a peer interviewer. Interviews were analysed thematically. FINDINGS: Participants had a range of complex health needs to manage, including ongoing access to gender-affirming hormones, mental health care and sexual health care. Some also had chronic diseases. Accordingly, scheduling appointments and affording the co-payments required were major preoccupations. Most participants were not in full time work, and economic hardship proved to be a major compounding factor in issues of healthcare access, impacting on the choice of clinician or practice. Other barriers to accessing health included issues within health services, such as disrespectful attitudes, misgendering, 'deadnaming' (calling the person by their previous name), displaying an excessive interest is aspects of the participants' life that were irrelevant to the consultation, and displaying ignorance of trans services such that the participants felt an obligation to educate them. In addition, participants noted how stereotyped ideas of trans people could result in inaccurate assumptions about their healthcare needs. Positive attributes of services were identified as respectful communication styles, clean, welcoming spaces, and signs that indicated professionalism, care and openness, such as relevant information pamphlets and visibility of LGBTIQ service orientation. Participants valued peer-based advice very highly, and some would act on and trust medical advice from peers above advice from medical professionals. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate a need for comprehensive wrap-around service provision for trans people with complex needs which includes a substantial peer-based component, and addresses physical and mental health and social services conveniently and affordably.

Re-assessing the Triadic Model of Care for Trans Patients Using a Harm-Reduction Approach.

The World Professional Association for Transgender Health's Standards of Care (WPATH SOC), now in its seventh edition, is a frequently cited, internationally recognized, evidence-based document that details a comprehensive framework for gender-related care of trans people. However, the WPATH SOC still relies heavily in some cases on gatekeeping practices, dubbed "triadic therapy," or a process where a trans patient is encouraged to seek out psychotherapy, and hormone therapy, and only then be able to engage in surgical options for transitioning. I use G. Alan Marlatt's harm reduction framework to argue that the triadic process creates its own set of harms that trans people have to contend with, especially insofar as it focuses on resolving gender dysphoria in a demanding, moralizing, and top-down way as opposed to enriching trans lives by reducing harms that prevent us from flourishing. Using Marlatt's criterion that harm reduction ought to be bottom-up, low threshold, and not moralizing, I develop a list of suggestions for what ought to be centrally considered in treating trans patients.

The Hidden Curriculum: Strategies for Preparing Residents for Practice.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The goal of this paper was to identify areas of importance in modern urology education that are not currently emphasized in current urological curricula. RECENT FINDINGS: We identified curricular deficits in robotic surgical simulation, transgender health, leadership, business management, and social media training. Few practicing urologists feel comfortable managing transgender-specific needs, and most training programs do not adequately address transgender health. Urology programs also do not sufficiently emphasize topics in leadership, business management, or appropriate social media usage. With respect to simulation, while it is currently included in the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) program requirements, it is currently under-utilized for training in robotic surgery. It is important for urologists to receive adequate training for the modern practice landscape. Where knowledge gaps among early practicing urologists arise, programs should adapt their curricula to address them.

The Imperative for Transgender and Gender Nonbinary Inclusion: Beyond Women's Health.

We aim to make evident that solely referencing cisgender women in the context of sexual and reproductive health-particularly pregnancy planning and care-excludes a diverse group of transgender and gender nonbinary people who have sexual and reproductive health needs and experiences that can be similar to but also unique from those of cisgender women. We call on clinicians and researchers to ensure that all points of sexual and reproductive health access, research, sources of information, and care delivery comprehensively include and are accessible to people of all genders. We describe barriers to sexual and reproductive health care and research participation unique to people of marginalized gender identities, provide examples of harm resulting from these barriers, and offer concrete suggestions for creating inclusive, accurate, and respectful care and research environments-which will lead to higher quality health care and science for people of all genders.

Debate: Why should gender-affirming health care be included in health science curricula?

BACKGROUND: Every person who seeks health care should be affirmed, respected, understood, and not judged. However, trans and gender diverse people have experienced significant marginalization and discrimination in health care settings. Health professionals are generally not adequately prepared by current curricula to provide appropriate healthcare to trans and gender diverse people. This strongly implies that health care students would benefit from curricula which facilitate learning about gender-affirming health care. MAIN BODY: Trans and gender diverse people have been pathologized by the medical profession, through classifications of mental illness in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and International Classification of Disease (ICD). Although this is changing in the new ICD-11, tension remains between depathologization discourses and access to gender-affirming health care. Trans and gender diverse people experience significant health disparities and an increased burden of disease, specifically in the areas of mental health, Human Immunodeficiency Virus, violence and victimisation. Many of these health disparities originate from discrimination and systemic biases that decrease access to care, as well as from health professional ignorance. This paper will outline gaps in health science curricula that have been described in different contexts, and specific educational interventions that have attempted to improve awareness, knowledge and skills related to gender-affirming health care. The education of primary care providers is critical, as in much of the world, specialist services for gender-affirming health care are not widely available. The ethics of the gatekeeping model, where service providers decide who can access care, will be discussed and contrasted with the informed-consent model that upholds autonomy by empowering patients to make their own health care decisions. CONCLUSION: There is an ethical imperative for health professionals to reduce health care disparities of trans and gender diverse people and practice within the health care values of social justice and cultural humility. As health science educators, we have an ethical duty to include gender-affirming health in health science curricula in order to prevent harm to the trans and gender diverse patients that our students will provide care for in the future.

Australian standards of care and treatment guidelines for transgender and gender diverse children and adolescents.

INTRODUCTION: The Australian standards of care and treatment guidelines aim to maximise quality care provision to transgender and gender diverse (TGD) children and adolescents across Australia, while recognising the unique circumstances of providing such care to this population. Recommendations are made based on available empirical evidence and clinician consensus, and have been developed in consultation with Australian professionals from multiple disciplines working with the TGD population, TGD support organisations, as well as TGD children and adolescents and their families. Main recommendations: Recommendations include general principles for supporting TGD children and adolescents using an affirmative approach, separate guidelines for the care of pre-pubertal children and TGD adolescents, as well as discipline-based recommendations for mental health care, medical and surgical interventions, fertility preservation, and speech therapy. Changes in management as a result of this statement: Although published international treatment guidelines currently exist, challenges in accessing and providing TGD health care specific to Australia have not been addressed to date. In response to this, these are the first guidelines to be developed for TGD children and adolescents in Australia. These guidelines also move away from treatment recommendations based on chronological age, with recommended timing of medical transition and surgical interventions dependent on the adolescent's capacity and competence to make informed decisions, duration of time on puberty suppression, coexisting mental health and medical issues, and existing family support.

Measuring the Health of an Invisible Population: Lessons from the Colorado Transgender Health Survey.

BACKGROUND: Transgender people, those whose gender identity does not match their sex assigned at birth, face barriers to receiving health care. These include discrimination, prohibitive cost, and difficulty finding transgender-inclusive providers. As transgender identities are not typically recognized in public health research, the ability to compare the health of the transgender population to the overall population is limited. OBJECTIVE: The Colorado Transgender Health Survey sought to explore current disparities and their effects on the health of transgender people in Colorado. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: The Colorado Transgender Health Survey, based on the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), was developed by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, transgender advocates, and transgender community members. Outreach was targeted to transgender-inclusive events and organizations. MAIN MEASURES: Responses to the 2014 Colorado Transgender Health Survey were compared side by side to Colorado 2014 BRFSS data. RESULTS: Results from 406 transgender or gender-nonconforming adults who live in Colorado were included in the analysis. Forty percent of respondents report delaying medical care due to cost, inadequate insurance, and/or fear of discrimination. Respondents report significant mental health concerns, with 43% reporting depression, 36% reporting suicidal thoughts, and 10% attempting suicide in the past year. Respondents with a transgender-inclusive provider were more likely to receive wellness exams (76 versus 48%), less likely to delay care due to discrimination (24 versus 42%), less depressed (38 versus 54%), and less likely to attempt suicide (7 versus 15%) than those without. CONCLUSIONS: The transgender community in Colorado faces significant disparities, especially around mental health. However, a transgender-inclusive provider is associated with improved mental and physical health and health behaviors. Further population-level research and provider education on transgender health should to be incorporated into national efforts to eliminate health disparities.

"The care is the best you can give at the time": Health care professionals' experiences in providing gender affirming care in South Africa.

BACKGROUND: While the provision of gender affirming care for transgender people in South Africa is considered legal, ethical, and medically sound, and is-theoretically-available in both the South African private and public health sectors, access remains severely limited and unequal within the country. As there are no national policies or guidelines, little is known about how individual health care professionals providing gender affirming care make clinical decisions about eligibility and treatment options. METHOD: Based on an initial policy review and service mapping, this study employed semi-structured interviews with a snowball sample of twelve health care providers, representing most providers currently providing gender affirming care in South Africa. Data were analysed thematically using NVivo, and are reported following COREQ guidelines. RESULTS: Our findings suggest that, whilst a small minority of health care providers offer gender affirming care, this is almost exclusively on their own initiative and is usually unsupported by wider structures and institutions. The ad hoc, discretionary nature of services means that access to care is dependent on whether a transgender person is fortunate enough to access a sympathetic and knowledgeable health care provider. CONCLUSION: Accordingly, national, state-sanctioned guidelines for gender affirming care are necessary to increase access, homogenise quality of care, and contribute to equitable provision of gender affirming care in the public and private health systems.

Statement on gender-affirmative approach to care from the pediatric endocrine society special interest group on transgender health.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this Position Statement is to emphasize the importance of an affirmative approach to the health care of transgender individuals, as well as to improve the understanding of the rights of transgender youth. RECENT FINDINGS: Transgender youth have optimal outcomes when affirmed in their gender identity, through support by their families and their environment, as well as appropriate mental health and medical care. SUMMARY: The Pediatric Endocrine Society Special Interest Group on Transgender Health joins other academic societies involved in the care of children and adolescents in supporting policies that promote a safe and accepting environment for gender nonconforming/transgender youth, as well as adequate mental health and medical care. This document provides a summary of relevant definitions, information and current literature on which the medical management and affirmative approach to care of transgender youth are based.

Health care availability, quality, and unmet need: a comparison of transgender and cisgender residents of Ontario, Canada.

BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that transgender (trans) individuals in Canada are a medically underserved population; barriers range from lack of provider knowledge on trans issues to refusal of care. This paper provides the first formal estimation of health care inequalities between trans and cisgender individuals in Ontario, Canada. METHODS: Weighted statistics from the Ontario-wide Trans PULSE Project (n = 433) were compared with age-standardized Ontario data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (n = 39,980) to produce standardized prevalence differences (SPDs). Analysis was also conducted separately for trans men and trans women, each compared to the age-standardized Ontario population. RESULTS: An estimated 33.2% (26.4,40.9) of trans Ontarians reported a past-year unmet health care need in excess of the 10.7% expected based on the age-standardized Ontario population. Inequality was greatest comparing trans with cisgender men (SPD = 34.4% (23.0, 46.1). While trans Ontarians evaluated health care availability in Ontario similarly to the broader population, they were significantly more likely to evaluate availability in their community as fair or poor. CONCLUSIONS: Trans Ontarians experience inequalities in perception and reported experiences of health care access, with 43.9% reporting a past-year unmet health care need.

Características de los menores de edad con disforia de género que acuden a la unidad de tratamiento de identidad de género / Caracteristics of adolescents with gender dysphoria referred to the gender identity treatment unit

Fundamentos. La demanda de atención a menores con disforia de género se ha incrementado en los últimos años. El objetivo de la presente investigación fue describir el perfil de adolescentes que solicitaron consulta en la Unidad de Tratamiento de la Identidad de Género del Principado de Asturias (UTIGPA) por presentar quejas de disforia de género.Método. La muestra se compuso de 20 menores de 18 años que fueron atendidos entre marzo de 2007 y diciembre de 2015. Se hizo uso de la historia clínica para recoger la información. Se llevaron a cabo análisis de estadísticos descriptivos y se utilizó la razón sexo/género. Resultados. Los 20 adolescentes representaron el 14,6% de la muestra total (137 personas). Tuvieron una media de edad de 15,20 (DT=1,473) y un rango entre 12 y 17. La razón sexo/género fue de 1/1 (10 pertenecieron al grupo de hombre a mujer y 10 al grupo de mujer a hombre). Cuando llegaron a la unidad el 100% convivía con su familia nuclear o extensa y en el 60% sus padres estuvieron separados. El 70% fue derivado desde salud mental. El 10% no presentó antecedentes asistenciales y al 35% se le prescribió tratamiento psicofarmacológico. El 95% no realizó autotratamiento hormonal. El 100% se definió como heterosexual. El 25% realizó una demanda exclusiva de intervenciones psicológicas y el 75% de tratamientos médicos. Conclusiones. El perfil del menor es un adolescente aproximadamente de 15 años derivado mayoritariamente desde salud mental. La razón sexo/género es la misma para ambos sexos. Presentan antecedentes asistenciales y realiza una demanda prioritaria de tratamientos médicos, tanto hormonales como quirúrgicos (AU)

Background. The demand for treatment among people with gender dysphoria has increased during the last years. The aim of the present research was to carry out an analysis of the demand of the teenagers that requested consultation at the UTIGPA (Gender Identity Treatment Unit of Principality of Asturias) as they presented complains of gender dysphoria. Method. The sample included 20 minors that were treated between March 2007 and December 2015. The clinical history was made to collect information. It was made descriptive analysis and the reason sex/gender was used. Results. The 20 teenagers represented the 14,6% of the whole sample (of 137 demands). The age average was 15,20 years (SD=1,473) and the range of years was between 12-17. The reason sex/gender was 1/1 (10 into the man to woman group and 10 into the woman to man group). At the arrival at the Treatment Unit, 100% of the individuals lived with their nuclear or extended family and in the 60% of the cases, their parents were separated. 70% of the cases were referred from mental health services. 10% hadn ́t got any past medical history and 35% had never received any prescription for a psychopharmacological treatment. 95% hadn’t done any hormonal self-treatment. 100% defined themselves as heterosexual. 25% requested exclusively for psychological interventions and 75% asked for medical treatments. Conclusions. The profile of the minor was a teenager of approximately 15 years old that was referred from mental health services. Contrary to the findings of other national and international researches, the rate sex/gender was equated in our research. The minor had got a past medical history and their priority request was for medical treatments, both hormonal and surgical therapies (AU)

Fair care for trans people.

Essential facts Nurses feel woefully underprepared to meet the needs of transgender patients, according to an RCN survey. Despite a steep rise in numbers of transgender patients across the UK, there is a lack of training to equip nurses with the skills needed to care for them.

Fair care for transgender patients.

Essential facts Nurses feel woefully underprepared to meet the needs of transgender patients, according to an RCN survey. Despite a steep rise in numbers of transgender patients across the UK, there is a lack of training to equip nurses with the skills needed to care for them.

Providing Competent and Affirming Services for Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Older Adults.

Despite the growing visibility and acceptance of transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) individuals, TGNC older adults experience many barriers in accessing competent and affirming health and social services due to anti-TGNC prejudice, discrimination, and lack of competent healthcare training on the part of healthcare workers. Clinical gerontologists and geriatricians will likely encounter TGNC adults in their practice given population aging and greater numbers of TGNC people who are living in their affirmed gender identities. The American Psychological Association recently published its Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Transgender and Gender Nonconforming People, which document the unique needs of TGNC individuals and outlines approaches for competent and affirming service provision (APA, 2015). We interpret these Guidelines using a gerontological lens to elucidate specific issues faced by the TGNC older adult along with the practice and policy implications for this population.