Tasmanian healthcare practitioners are struggling to provide inclusive and affirming care to transgender people, with limited resources and a lack of critical awareness regarding trans health concerns, a new study has found.
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Published in the Australian Journal of General Practice June issue, health practitioner and student attitudes to caring for transgender patients is the first study to explore the attitudes of Tasmanian health professionals to trans patients.
Based on interviews with 17 practitioners ranging from doctors, psychologists, nurses and other allied health workers, as well as medicine, nursing and pharmacy students across the state, the study found the need for better support and resources to improve quality of care.
Co-author, UTAS sociology lecturer Dr Ruby Grant, said while the health disparities experienced by LGBTIQ people were now quite well-known, there was less understanding of how healthcare professionals were responding to the issues.
"The study sought to hear from Tasmanian health professionals and current medical and nursing students about their understandings [and] awareness of LGBTIQ health, what they do to be inclusive of this patient group, and what challenges they face in this area," she said.
"Gaining a better understanding of practitioner and student knowledge and competence in LGBTIQ-inclusive practice helps us to identify key areas where upskilling may be needed.
"For example, our study found that Tasmanian practitioners and students were most unsure about transgender patients' needs, particularly around inclusive language."
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The study built on data collected collected between May and September 2019, as part of a broader project on LGBTIQ inclusive medical practice, funded by the state government's community grants scheme.
It found practitioners and students demonstrated little awareness of trans people's experiences, with one experienced clinician saying trans health was "not on the radar at all" when they completed their medical degree.
Greater awareness of the importance of gender-affirming language was also identified. While participants were recognised as being well-intentioned in their discussions of inclusive language, the study found their responses demonstrated demand for deeper understanding.
Dr Grant said the findings indicated the need for an improved health and medical curriculum development on the topic of trans health, and greater opportunities for professional development for health practitioners in regional and rural areas.
"I hope that the growing body of research in this area will help to inform medical and health professional training, both in university curriculum and in ongoing professional development," she said.
"Our work shows that more comprehensive, skills-based training is needed to encourage healthcare providers to best support LGBTIQ patients, particularly those in the transgender community."
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Jessica Willard
Being a health reporter to me is about more than just reporting the problems. It's about asking why they are happening in the first place and what needs to change to fix it.
Being a health reporter to me is about more than just reporting the problems. It's about asking why they are happening in the first place and what needs to change to fix it.
