Hormone Prescription and HIV Screening/Preventive Practices Among Clinicians Providing Care for Transgender Individuals.

Transgender health
Authors
Keywords
Abstract

PURPOSE: Through a survey-based approach, we sought to investigate regional differences in gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) prescribing practices, as well as HIV screening and prevention practices among clinicians providing care to transgender individuals.METHODS: Our survey was disseminated between December 2019 and January 2021 to clinicians who prescribe GAHT within New England (United States). Between-group differences in GAHT prescribing and HIV screening/prevention practices were evaluated by practice setting and subspecialty.RESULTS: Of the 20 survey respondents, 55% practiced in health care settings affiliated with an academic institution, 45% practiced in a community-based health care setting, and 30% were Endocrinologists. Clinicians in community-based health care settings reported more frequently prescribing oral 17β-estradiol (=0.02) and spironolactone (=0.007) for feminizing GAHT compared with clinicians in health care settings affiliated with an academic institution, who reported more frequently prescribing leuprolide (=0.03). For masculinizing GAHT, clinicians from health care settings affiliated with an academic institution reported more frequently prescribing topical testosterone (=0.03). There were no significant between-group differences in reported barriers to initiation or reasons for stopping GAHT. While non-Endocrinologists reported "often" or "always" offering HIV screening, most Endocrinologists reported "rarely" or "never" offering HIV screening and "rarely" or "never" offering pre-exposure or postexposure prophylaxis to their transgender patients.CONCLUSIONS: Regional GAHT prescribing practices varied by setting. Additional research is needed to better understand whether these differences translate to differences in GAHT efficacy and side-effects. Further, HIV screening/prevention practices varied by subspecialty. Integrated GAHT and HIV screening/prevention across subspecialties could help reduce the disproportionate burden of HIV faced by the transgender community.

Year of Publication
2023
Journal
Transgender health
Volume
8
Issue
1
Pages
64-73
Date Published
02/2023
ISSN
2688-4887
DOI
10.1089/trgh.2021.0118
PubMed ID
36824383
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