title: How Should Physicians Refer When Referral Options are Limited for Transgender Patients?
abstract: Transgender people encounter many barriers to health care, and recommendations about where their treatment would best be offered can promote or thwart good care. This case examines the care setting from the perspective of a patient whose experiences with specialists have been negative. We argue that an ethos of harm reduction and informed consent, with a strong emphasis on continuity of care within a primary care setting, should guide questions about how to refer transgender patients to caregivers and to good care settings.
authors.affiliation: Project manager and research assistant at the Hastings Center in Garrison, New York.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dietz
authors.affiliation: Program manager for the LGBT Office in the Office for Diversity Inclusion and Community Partnership at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Halem
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D026686:Beneficence; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D054521:Cultural Competency; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D062985:Health Services for Transgender Persons; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent; D008297:Male; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D013038:Specialization; D063106:Transgender Persons