Fifth of final-year med students 'don't understand transgender healthcare issues'
Research published in this month’s said: “There is growing awareness of the importance of providing medical students and healthcare professionals with dedicated teaching on LGBT+ health."
One in five final-year medical students have no understanding of healthcare issues unique to transgender people, according to a new study, which recommends providing teaching on the subject at all Irish medical schools.
The research published in this month’s also highlighted the importance of terminology when treating transgender patients, as some prefer to avoid words like “vulva” and “vagina”.
It said transgender people have specific healthcare needs and experience difficulty in accessing health services.
“There is growing awareness of the importance of providing medical students and healthcare professionals with dedicated teaching on LGBT+ health,” it added.
Final-year medical students were asked about their knowledge regarding the healthcare needs of transgender people before and after a one-hour lecture on the subject at a Dublin hospital as part of the study.
It found that 80% of students had a good understanding of what transgender means prior to the lecture, but just 10% claimed to understand the unique healthcare issues faced by transgender people.
A total of 22% had “no understanding” of these issues, while 68% claimed to have “some” understanding. Only 18% said they knew about the role of gynaecology in the care of transgender patients.
After the lecture, 91% of students said they would be more confident talking to transgender patients, and 81% said they would like further teaching on the topic.
“In addition to specific general healthcare needs, it is recognised that transgender and non-binary people also require tailored gynaecological healthcare,” the research paper stated, explaining that transgender men who do not fully transition can continue to experience healthcare issues with female sex organs.
It claimed that “real or perceived discrimination” in healthcare settings may result in LGBTI+ people not disclosing their sexual or gender identity, resulting in inadequate healthcare delivery and a poor therapeutic relationship.
The study, whose authors included Dr Sadhbh Lee from UCD Centre for Human Reproduction, concluded that the one-hour teaching session had been effective at improving students’ knowledge of the healthcare needs of transgender people.
It said such teaching modules were “something all medical schools in Ireland could consider implementing”, and that all medical students should receive training on general and gynaecological issues in this population.
The paper also said education for already-qualified healthcare professionals on the subject should be considered, as there is currently no postgraduate training available on the care of transgender people
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
