Guidance Issued for Perioperative Care of Transgender, Gender-Diverse Patients
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, Aug. 2, 2024 -- In a guideline published online July 23 in Anaesthesia, recommendations for anesthetists are presented for the perioperative care of transgender and gender-diverse patients.
Stuart Edwardson, from the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom, and colleagues developed recommendations for anesthetists on special considerations relating to transgender and gender-diverse patients.
The authors developed more than 25 recommendations, which were then revised to a list of 15 recommendations after review by the working party. These included confirmation and use of the patient's preferred name and pronouns at all times. As part of the preoperative assessment, patients should be able to privately and safely disclose their sex at birth and gender; in an elective setting, digital preassessment questionnaires can provide this information. At preoperative assessment, all forms of social, medical, and surgical gender affirmation should be identified. At the surgical brief, all specific perioperative considerations, including name and pronouns, should be communicated to the team. Transgender status should only be shared with the patient's consent and if deemed important for the safety of their care; this information should be given the same level of confidentiality as other sensitive personal information. In a patient who has undergone gender-affirming cosmetic procedures, anesthetists should be cognizant of the inaccuracy of an airway assessment. Transgender and gender-diverse patients should receive care in an environment that respects their gender identity.
"Health care staff should remain educated and updated on the significant disparities in health care outcomes these patients face, alongside the specific anatomical, physiological, and social factors to be considered to provide safe and dignified care," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted August 2024
Read this next
Testosterone Use Not Tied to Gynecological Cancers in Transmasculine Individuals
FRIDAY, May 16, 2025 -- Short-term testosterone use among transmasculine and gender diverse (TMGD) individuals is not associated with an increased risk for gynecological cancers...
General Practitioners Face Barriers to Treating Patients' Sexual Problems
MONDAY, May 12, 2025 -- While treating sexual problems is considered an important health care practice, general practitioners (GPs) report more barriers to caring for...
Preop Macular Thickness May Be Marker of Postop Delirium in Seniors
FRIDAY, April 4, 2025 -- In older patients undergoing surgery, preoperative macular thickness may be a marker for vulnerability to developing postoperative delirium, according to...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.