How can surgeons help transgender patients and colleagues feel welcome?

24 October 2023 (Last updated: 25 Oct 2023 14:14)

A new article published in the RCS England journal The Bulletin provides advice about how surgeons can create a more inclusive, welcoming, and accommodating space for both their transgender patients and colleagues. The article explains that a culturally competent approach enables improved trust and engagement in shared decision making with transgender patients and improves the mental health and workforce retention of transgender staff. 

Transgender and gender-diverse people have always existed but owing to increased visibility, surgeons are increasingly likely to encounter them in their day-to-day practice. Transgender people are a diverse group and need not have undergone medical or legal processes to have statutory protection from discrimination. 

Many transgender people choose not to disclose their identity and staff may be unaware that some colleagues and patients are LGBTQ+. They should avoid assumptions about gender, and refer to individuals using the name, title and pronouns that they use, and challenge discriminatory comments using an ‘active bystander’ approach. Crucially, they should not disclose a patient’s or colleague’s transgender status without consent.

In clinical contexts where questions about an individual’s gender, anatomy or previous procedures are genuinely appropriate, these should be approached with sensitivity and in a confidential setting. Transgender people face barriers to healthcare, and so treatment with dignity and respect is vital to maintain trust between patient and clinician. This is particularly important in the context of surgery, where the individual may be unconscious and exposed. During treatment, staff should avoid excessive fixation on the fact that an individual is transgender and instead, focus on their individual care needs.

Read the full article here

RCS England The Bulletin article 'How can surgeons help transgender patients and colleagues feel welcome?'
Authors: A Ashman, R Folkers and P Burns