Nursing care of transgender persons: A systematic mapping study

Abstract

Aim: To identify, organize, and report findings of published literature related to the delivery of nursing care for transgender people.

Background: Transgender people describe negative interactions with healthcare providers, which have led to delayed care and suboptimal health outcomes. Nurses report being unprepared to care for transgender patients despite published standards for delivery of gender-affirming care. Previous studies indicate focused transgender nursing care education improves positive healthcare experiences and reducing disparities for transgender people.

Design: A systematic mapping strategy was employed to perform this mapping study.

Methods: Using the search terms transgender, transgendered, gender-nonconforming, nonbinary, gender identity, nursing care, nurse attitudes, health care delivery/disparities, patient-centered care, and gender-affirming care a literature search was completed within CINAHL Complete, MEDLINE Complete, and Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection. Of 1250 articles identified, duplicates were removed before the titles, abstracts, and full text were screened for relevance.

Results: A final sample of thirteen studies focusing on transgender patient care, practicing nurses' experiences, and nurse education was analyzed. The findings confirmed a dearth of primary research related to nursing care of transgender people.

Conclusions: Little research has been conducted in the last five years regarding nursing care provided to transgender people and nurse education regarding aspects of transgender and gender-affirming care. Despite increased research, innovative interventions remain imperative to address the gap in nursing education regarding gender-affirming health care.

Keywords: Care delivery; Gender identity; Nurses; Nursing education; Transgender persons.