Science
Abby Frye, PharmD, BCACP, Dawn Fuke, PharmD, BCPS, and Justin Bachman, PharmD, BCACP — Clinical Pharmacist Specialists in Primary Care from the Providence Medical Group in Portland, Oregon — talk with us about creating gender-affirming care environments. Key Lessons: Current estimates suggest that about 1 million adults in Adults in the United States don't identify with the gender assigned to them at birth - but this is likely an underestimate. Transgender and gender non-conforming individuals face enormous and persistent stigma within our (and many other) cultures. Social stigma is associated with higher rates of anxiety, depression, and substance use disorders. Health professionals have a responsibility to take pro-active steps to counteract the discrimination that patients from vulnerable and marginalized populations face. Self-awareness and self-examination about communication practices are critical - this includes the information collected on patient intake forms and electronic health records as well as a patient's preferred name and pronoun. Insurance coverage for gender-affirming therapies as well as health screening exams for transgender persons are sometimes denied and health professionals may need to advocate for coverage. A wide variety of resources are available to health professionals to learn more about the care of transgender and gender non-conforming individuals. To learn more, view and download the Show Notes!