Culturally safe care needed for trans and gender-diverse patients in EDs
Scoping review aims to support better healthcare for growing population
As a first point of contact within the health system, emergency departments (EDs) provide an opportunity to deliver culturally safe care that responds to the needs of people in the trans and gender-diverse community. However, many find these encounters to be disrespectful and do not feel inclusively accounted for. Experiences such as these can lead to ED avoidance and disengagement from healthcare, exacerbating physical and mental health problems.
A scoping review is underway to identify and analyse the barriers and enablers of culturally safe care specific to trans and gender-diverse patients in EDs, in order to support better healthcare provision and accessibility.
Cultural safety requires that the care environment is defined by the patient, empowering them to feel safe, respected, and supported. Barriers to culturally safe care in EDs include a lack of knowledge and understanding among healthcare workers, inadequate education, exclusion of pronoun and gender identity questions, and non-inclusive physical environments.
Healthcare workers globally need to be able meet the specific needs of trans and gender-diverse individuals and address the barriers that contribute to the marginalisation and invisibility of trans and gender-diverse individuals. Addressing these barriers can improve healthcare experiences and outcomes for this population.
According to a study in the UK, trans and gender-diverse populations are increasing by around 15% per year. Therefore, it is important that healthcare professionals in EDs understand the needs of this growing, but poorly understood population.
The scoping review protocol is published in the June 2023 issue of JBI Evidence Synthesis.
Brown, Chantal; Marnie, Casey; Peters, Micah D.J.