A study led by researchers at Western University has found about half of transgender Ontarians who have a family doctor are not comfortable discussing transgender-related health issues with them.
The study was led by Greta Bauer, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics at Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. It found patients level of discomfort with their doctor was affected by whether or not they believed their doctor knew about transgender-related issues, their medical transition status, previous marital status, and negative experiences with family physicians.
“Universal access to health care is a tenet of our health care system, but in reality, not everyone has true access to the same level of health care,” says Bauer. “All patients need to feel comfortable with their doctor, otherwise there are barriers to accessing care – whether it’s for medical transition-related care or bronchitis.”
More than a third of those asked reported a transgender-specific negative experience with their family doctor. These included refusal to treat the patient or terminated their care because they were transgender, as well as the use of insulting language directed toward the patient, and refusal to examine parts of the body.
The study also found that transgender patients were less likely to have a family physician, compared with the general population in Ontario. While 98.1% of the general population has a family doctor, that figure is 83.1% of transgender Ontarians.
The study can be found here.