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Transgender health content in medical education

Jeason van Heesewijk1  · Alex Kent2 · Tim C. van de Grift1,3 


Corresponding author: Jeason van Heesewijk j. vanheesewijk@amsterdamumc.nl


Acknowledgements: We would like to thank Linko Izumi for her assistance with the literature search and article selection.


Author contributions Conceptualization: MM, Tim van de Grift; Literature search and data analysis: AK, JvanH; Writing – original draft preparation: AK, JvanH, MM; Terminology: AH, MM; Critical revision: MM, TvandeG, AlH; Formatting and fnal preparation of manuscript: JvanH. All authors read and approved the fnal manuscript. 


Funding: No funding was received to assist with the preparation of this manuscript. 


Confict of interest: The authors have no relevant fnancial or non-fnancial interests to disclose

Abstract

Health disparities faced by transgender people are partly explained by barriers to transinclusive healthcare, which in turn are linked to a lack of transgender health education in medical school curricula. We carried out a theory-driven systematic review with the aim to (1) provide an overview of key characteristics of training initiatives and pedagogical features, and (2) analyze barriers and facilitators to implementing this training in medical education. We used queer theory to contextualize our fndings. We searched the PubMed/Ovid MEDLINE database (October 2009 to December 2021) for original studies that reported on transgender content within medical schools and residency programs (N=46). We performed a thematic analysis to identify training characteristics, pedagogical features, barriers and facilitators. Most training consisted of single-session interventions, with varying modes of delivery. Most interventions were facilitated by instructors with a range of professional experience and half covered general LGBT+-content. Thematic analysis highlighted barriers including lack of educational materials, lack of faculty expertise, time/costs constraints, and challenges in recruiting and compensating transgender guest speakers. Facilitators included scafolding learning throughout the curriculum, drawing on expertise of transgender people and engaging learners in skills-based training. Sustainable implementation of transgender-health objectives in medical education faces persistent institutional barriers. These barriers are rooted in normative biases inherent to biomedical knowledge production, and an understanding of categories of sex and gender as uncomplicated. Medical schools should facilitate trans-inclusive educational strategies to combat transgender-health inequities, which should include a critical stance toward binary conceptualizations of sex and gender throughout the curriculum.

Keywords: Gender identity · Health equity · LGBT+ · Medical education · Queer theory · Systematic review · Transgender health · Trans-inclusive healthcare · Training interventions · Transgender pedagogy

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