Articles related to LGBTQIA+ MEDICINE

The recent ban on gender-affirming care for minors in Texas underscores the urgent need for pharmacists to act as knowledgeable allies and advocates for transgender patients. Your role in education, advocacy, and trust-building is now more crucial than ever; learn more about how you can help.

Explore a course created to equip pharmacists with the knowledge and abilities to assist patients who identify as transgender or gender nonconforming (TGND). The educational program “Gender-Affirming Care in Pharmacy Practice” is a comprehensive guide for pharmacists to better serve transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) patients. It provides a deep understanding of the terminology related to TGD patient populations, including definitions of gender identity, gender expression, and various gender identities. The program emphasizes the importance of gender-affirming care, which includes social, medical, psychological, and behavioral care that aligns with a person’s gender identity. It also provides guidance on how to communicate inclusively with TGD patients, such as introducing oneself with name and pronouns, asking open-ended questions, and avoiding unnecessary or invasive questions. Furthermore, the program highlights the health disparities faced by TGD individuals seeking gender-affirming care, such as higher levels of unemployment and healthcare discrimination. It also discusses the coverage of gender-affirming care by Medicaid, which varies across states. The program provides detailed information on hormone therapy for TGD patients, including testosterone and estrogen hormone therapy. It discusses the potential side effects, contraindications, and the importance of contraception for patients at risk of becoming pregnant while on testosterone therapy. Lastly, the […]

Explore how neighborhood pharmacists are tackling the Gender-Affirming Care Guide’s difficulty of comprehension and application. The study provides a critical analysis of community pharmacists’ awareness and use of the Gender-Affirming Care Guide. Unveiled by the American Pharmacists Association and Human Rights Campaign in March 2021, the guide represents a pivotal tool for delivering competent and respectful care to transgender and gender-diverse patients. Nonetheless, reports on pharmacists’ familiarity with, and adherence to, the guide are currently lacking. To examine this, an anonymous survey, structured around the guide’s principles, was sent to 700 Ohio community pharmacists. Of the 688 recipients, a mere 12% responded, revealing a stark lack of awareness about the guide – only 10% knew of its existence. Moreover, their self-reported ability to define key terminologies varied widely. Indeed, 95% could correctly define “transgender,” but only 14% knew “intersectionality.” The report underscores the importance of adopting the guide’s suggested practices. Notably, it found that 61% collected patients’ preferred names, and 54% considered transgender, gender-diverse, or non-heterosexual patients during staff training. Nevertheless, less than half claimed their pharmacy software managed critical gender-related data effectively. Despite these shortcomings, the surveyed pharmacists displayed a substantial interest in learning more about the guide’s contents. […]

In this study, of the 118 transgender and gender nonbinary (TGNB) patients, one-third of participants reported misgendering (being addressed in the dental environment using the wrong name and pronouns). Although refusal of oral health care was uncommon in our sample of TGNB participants, more than half believed that their regular source of oral health care was unable to provide gender-appropriate care. Avoidance owing to gender identity was found to be substantially related to self-reported unsatisfactory dental health. Gender insensitivity, awkward interactions, avoidance of care, and a lack of gender-affirming practitioners were all common themes un participants’ oral health care experiences.

The question of whether, when, and how children and adolescents with gender dysphoria should be treated medically or surgically is contentious. Gender dysphoria in the United States is being treated with “gender affirming care,” which may include gonadotrophin releasing hormone analogues (GnRHa) to suppress puberty, oestrogen or testosterone to promote secondary sex characteristics, and surgical removal or augmentation of breasts, genitals, or other physical features. At the same time, several European countries have issued guidelines limiting medical intervention in minors and emphasizing psychological care. There is little doubt in the medical community that children in distress require care, but there are concerns about the rapid widespread adoption of interventions and calls for rigorous scientific review from all corners.

Sunlenca (lenacapavir), which comes in 300 mg tablets and a 463.5 mg/1.5 mL injection, provides doctors with a long-needed twice-yearly option for patients with complicated past treatment histories who would otherwise have few treatment options.