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. 2024 Mar 13;12(6):647.
doi: 10.3390/healthcare12060647.

Βarriers and Gaps to Medical Care for Transgender Individuals: A TRANSCARE Scoping Review with a Focus on Greece

Marilena Anastasaki  1 , Agapi Angelaki  1 , Philippos Paganis  2 , Elena Olga Christidi  2 , Nancy Papathanasiou  2 , Eleni Panagiota Stoupa  3 , Evika Karamagioli  3 , Emmanouil Pikoulis  3 , Christos Lionis  1 ; TRANSCARE Group
Affiliations

Βarriers and Gaps to Medical Care for Transgender Individuals: A TRANSCARE Scoping Review with a Focus on Greece

Marilena Anastasaki et al. Healthcare (Basel). .

Abstract

Trans people face substantial barriers to care worldwide. In Greece, limited evidence regarding trans health and actions to improve accessibility in healthcare services is available. This study aims to identify barriers to care for transgender populations in order to discuss the potential gaps in healthcare providers' training in this direction. A scoping review was conducted in PubMed. Study eligibility criteria included: (a) reporting on at least one barrier to care for trans individuals or at least one educational need for healthcare providers; (b) free full text availability; and (c) publishing from 2015 and afterwards. Discrepancies in study inclusion were discussed between the research team until consensus was reached. Out of 560 identified references, 69 were included in this study, with only three reporting empirical research from Greece. Several individual-, interpersonal-, and institutional-level barriers to healthcare for trans individuals were identified. These included discriminatory treatment by healthcare providers, a lack of knowledgeable providers trained on trans-specific healthcare issues, lack of trusted and safe healthcare environments, health coverage-related issues, and healthcare systems that do not take into account particular transgender health issues during care provision. Improving access to care for transgender people is a multidimensional issue that should be addressed at the societal, healthcare, and research levels. Actions for future professional education initiatives should focus on respecting transgender identity, protecting confidentiality, creating trusted provider-patient relationships, and providing sufficient competency on trans-specific healthcare issues.

Keywords: barriers to care; primary care; transgender care.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram of document selection.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Barriers (red) and facilitators (green) to care for transgender individuals, as identified in this review. Abbreviations: HCP: healthcare provider; HC: healthcare.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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