Learning with experts: Incorporating community into gender-diverse healthcare education

Abstract

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) encourages but does not require medical schools to train students on LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, etc.…) care and education on transgender, gender-diverse and/or intersex care is particularly lacking. This study evaluated the efficacy of a patient-centred educational intervention co-developed and facilitated with transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) patient collaborators on students' knowledge of TGD healthcare needs, perceived value of TGD healthcare training and TGD healthcare competency. The authors recruited second-year medical students from the Primary Care, Family and Community Medicine Clerkship at the University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School (UT Dell Med) in Spring 2021. Students (n = 36) completed an online survey with closed- and open-ended questions that included AAMC TGD healthcare competencies, perceived value of TGD healthcare training, and knowledge of TGD healthcare needs before and after an educational intervention utilising clinical cases developed and delivered in collaboration with six TGD patient collaborators. The TGD patient collaborators completed a post-intervention survey evaluating the patient-centredness of the educational intervention's design and implementation and their perception of the student's competence during the intervention. There was a statistically significant increase in each AAMC TGD healthcare competency post-intervention, except for discussing sexual health practices. No changes in perceived value or knowledge were noted. Students reported that authentic engagement with TGD patient collaborators during the educational intervention had the most impact (n = 10, 58.4%). All responding TGD patient collaborators (n = 5, 100%) strongly agreed that their input was valued and at least somewhat agreed that they felt supported by the organiser of the educational intervention. Three respondents (75%) somewhat agreed that the development of the educational intervention was a collaborative process, with one (25%) somewhat disagreeing. Educational interventions that are co-developed with TGD patient collaborators may improve medical student understanding of gender diversity. Additional efforts are needed to further the patient-centredness of educational interventions.

Keywords: gender and health; medical training; patient-centred care; transgender.