8 ways to improve the transgender patient experience at imaging centers
Radiology providers are facing increased regulatory pressure, necessitating the need to improve the patient experience for transgender individuals, according to new research published March 10.
Electronic medical records certified in meaningful use must collect information about sexual orientation and gender identity. Such additional demographic details and care related questions also are now addressed in some patient experience surveys, experts detailed in Clinical Imaging [1].
“New sexual minority questions in the patient experience survey will help organizations improve and add value to the healthcare experience of the transgender population,” radiologists Karen E. Gerlach, MD, MBA, and Jessica W.T. Leung, MD, both with Department of Breast Imaging at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, wrote March 11. “Here, we outline how institutions can optimize their patient experience among transgender patients.”
The two detailed eight tips for addressing this concern. Here they are in brief. You can read them in greater detail at the link in the reference section below.
Methods to optimize the patient experience
1. Welcoming environment: The name on a breast imaging center can convey bias. Gerlach and Leung suggest avoiding titles such as “Woman’s Health Center,” which can dissuade transgender patients from using these services. Providers also can consider using “safe place” stickers to identify as LGBTQ allies and placing nondiscriminatory signs in the waiting room.
2. Patient intake: Staff should identify and use the person’s preferred name and pronouns during intake. Sensitivity during initial information gathering is “imperative,” as it can leave a lasting impression. Some may not have proper documentation, due to the high cost and burden of legally changing one’s name and gender.
3. Facility design: Unisex or unmarked restrooms can convey inclusivity, and many imaging centers have adapted modified changing room procedures. The latter allows male or transgender individuals to change in the exam room rather than a dedicated space with a common sub-waiting area.
4. Clinical interaction: Members of the imaging team should speak inclusively during the clinical interview. This includes using neutral language and avoiding assuming a patient has a wife, husband or children, or asking unnecessary intrusive questions. Providers also should explain the procedure in detail and stay up to date on sexual minority health topics.
“Clinicians who demonstrate excellent clinical competence in transgender health can be identified and recognized,” Gerlach and Leung advised. “These clinicians may serve as models and coaches to clinicians who are less experienced in transgender patient health encounters.”
Methods to increase inclusivity
5. Training: Unconscious bias training is an interactive process that guides radiologists and other staffers to recognize and develop skills to decrease implicit prejudices within the organization. Some hospital systems have established offices of diversity and inclusion to tackle this work.
6. Staff diversity: This can allow members of the imaging to learn from one another, build trust among patient populations, reinforce diversity training, and promote cultural change toward inclusivity.
7. Advisory boards: Patient advisory bodies can help radiology providers recognize problems and implement changes. The University of Rochester Medical Center, for instance, created a Transgender and Gender-Diverse Patient and Family Advisory Council in 2019.
8. Outreach: Beyond the already listed approaches, reaching transgender patients may require other avenues, such as sharing literature at local libraries or disseminating info through LGBTQ community centers and domestic violence programs.
“Locating physicians experienced in transgendered patient's needs can be challenging,” the authors advised. “Experienced physicians may consider sharing this experience in their online physician profiles. If needed, physicians and staff can increase their knowledge through sources such as the World Professional Organization for Transgender Health.”
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.