title: Informed Consent in the Medical Care of Transgender and Gender-Nonconforming Patients.
abstract: Informed consent as a model of care has evolved as an alternative to the standard model of care recommended by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health's Standards of Care, version 7, which emphasizes the importance of mental health professionals' role in diagnosing gender dysphoria and in assessing the appropriateness and readiness for gender-affirming medical treatments. By contrast, the informed consent model for gender-affirming treatment seeks to acknowledge and better support the patient's right to, and capability for, personal autonomy in choosing care options without the required involvement of a mental health professional. Clinicians' use of the informed consent model would enable them both to attain a richer understanding of transgender and gender-nonconforming patients and to deliver better patient care in general.
authors.affiliation: Family practitioner and the medical director for the Transgender Health Program at Fenway Health in Boston.
authors.forename: Timothy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cavanaugh
authors.affiliation: Coordinator for the Transgender Health Program at Fenway Health in Boston.
authors.forename: Ruben
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hopwood
authors.affiliation: Transgender patient advocate at Fenway Health in Boston.
authors.forename: Cei
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lambert
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D000068116:Gender Dysphoria / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D005783:Gender Identity; D006282:Health Personnel; D062985:Health Services for Transgender Persons / Q000941:ethics; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008605:Mental Health Services; D028701:Patient Rights; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D057829:Gender-Affirming Procedures / Q000941:ethics / Q000523:psychology; D059039:Standard of Care; D063106:Transgender Persons; D014189:Transsexualism