in the waiting room (Hayhurst, 2016). The outcome of this intervention can be measured by asking a transgender patient if they were able to identify LGBTQ clues in the clinic and if it made them feel more welcomed to the practice. 3) Gender neutral restrooms can be simply implemented by eliminating any gender specific signs (women or men) (London, 2014). Measuring the outcome of this change can be determined by implementing random audits – monitoring if patients and visitors do not hesitate to use the restroom because of a gender exclusive sign.
Stigma and lack of legal recognition remain the backbone to structural barriers (laws, policies, and regulations), impeding adequate healthcare provisions to transgender women in 40 different United States (Bradford, Reisner, Honnold, & Xavier, 2013). Transgender individuals who exercise human fundamental rights – to life, liberty, equality, health, privacy, speech, and expression are often dismissed by their own families. These experiences of severe stigma and marginalization continue to negatively impact their lives by discriminating against career opportunities, increasing the risk for homelessness, and further projecting them to high risk behavior such as engaging in sex work – which heighten their risk for HIV infection (Divan, Cortez, Smelyanskaya, & Keatley, 2016). Health disparities continue due to adversarial issues that encompass their lives and they are less likely to seek healthcare treatment in a timely or preventative manner.
I hope that research focused on the transgender population continues in the future, as there seems to be a lack of new knowledge and slow implementation to changing the approach to healthcare practice to better address transgender concerns. As mentioned in my plan for practice, I am quite confident that I will succeed in implementing those actions for change. They are all fairly simple interventions that are of minimal cost and can benefit both the practice generate income (with new patients) and transgender individuals to seek healthcare in a transgender-friendly environment.
References
Bradford, J., Reisner, S. L., Honnold, J. A., & Xavier, J. (2013). Experiences of transgender-related discrimination and implications for health: Results from the Virginia transgender health initiative study. American Journal of Public Health, 103(10), 1820-1829. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2012.300796
Budge, S. L., Thai, J. L., Tebbe, E. A., & Howard, K. A. (2016). The intersection of race, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, trans identity, and mental health outcomes. The Counseling Psychologist, 44(7), 1025-1049. doi:10.1177/0011000015609046
Divan, V., Cortez, C., Smelyanskaya, M., & Keatley, J. (2016). Transgender social inclusion and equality: A pivotal path to development. Journal of the International Aids Society, 19(3). doi:10.7448/IAS.19.3.20803
Hann, M., Ivester, R., & Denton, G. D. (2017). Bioethics in practice: Ethical issues in the care of transgender patients. The Ochsner Journal, 17(2), 144-145. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5472072/
Lenning, E., & Buist, C. L. (2013). Social, psychological and economic challenges faced by transgender individuals and their significant others: Gaining insight through personal narratives. Cultures, Health & Sexuality, 15(1), 44-57. doi:10.1080/13691058.2012.738431
London, J. (2014). Let’s talk about bathrooms. Diversity Best Practices. Retrieved from https://www.diversitybestpractices.com
