"I Don't Want to Spend the Rest of my Life Only Going to a Gender Wellness Clinic": Healthcare Experiences of Patients of a Comprehensive Transgender Clinic.

Content Provider	Europe PMC
Author	Lee, Joy L. Huffman, Monica Rattray, Nicholas A. Carnahan, Jennifer L. Fortenberry, J. Dennis Fogel, Janine M. Weiner, Michael Matthias, Marianne S.
Abstract	BackgroundTransgender individuals are less likely to have had a primary care visit in the last year than cisgender individuals. While the importance of multidisciplinary clinics for transgender care has been established, little is known about the healthcare experiences of transgender patients with these clinics.ObjectiveTo describe how patients experience transgender clinics and how these experiences compare to those experiences in other settings.ParticipantsTwenty-one adult patients of a gender health program.Design and ApproachSemi-structured interviews of transgender patients. The interviews focused on two domains: healthcare experiences and relationships with healthcare providers.Key ResultsOverall, transgender patients expressed a need for healthcare services, particularly for primary care, that are partially met by the comprehensive care clinic model. Limitations in access included the lack of willing providers, where the patients live, and long wait times for appointments. Participants recounted a range of experiences, both positive and negative, with providers outside of the transgender clinic, but only positive experiences to share about providers from the transgender clinic.ConclusionOutside specialty transgender settings, many patients had negative experiences with providers who were unwilling or unable to provide care. This study speaks to the need for primary care providers who can and will treat transgender patients, as well as the need for healthcare spaces that feel safe to transgender patents.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11606-022-07408-5.
ISSN	08848734
Journal	Journal of General Internal Medicine
Volume Number	37
PubMed Central reference number	PMC8809217
Issue Number	13
PubMed reference number	35112278
e-ISSN	15251497
DOI	10.1007/s11606-022-07408-5
Language	English
Publisher	Springer International Publishing
Publisher Date	2022-02-02
Publisher Place	Gewerbestrasse 11, Cham, Ch 6330, Switzerland
Access Restriction	Open
Rights License	© The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Society of General Internal Medicine 2022
Subject Keyword	primary care transgender health qualitative research
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Internal Medicine