Most transgender and gender nonconforming youth would like their preferred name and pronouns be recorded throughout their EMRs, but very few are ever asked for that identity information outside of gender specialty clinic settings, according to a recent research letter in JAMA Pediatrics.
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The findings are not surprising, said Cora Breuner, MD, a professor of pediatrics in adolescent medicine at Seattle Children’s Hospital in Washington, because “we know that use of gender-affirming language when accessing health care is extremely important to transgender youth.”
“Use of gender-affirming language in the health care system is associated with improved mental health outcomes in this population,” Dr Breuner said in an interview.
But the authors of the study noted that EMRs often lack the functions needed to provide gender-affirming care.
“To better support this vulnerable group of youths, health systems and EMRs should allow for EMR-wide name and pronoun documentation, even when a patient has not legally changed their name,” Gina M. Sequeira, MD, of UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and associates wrote.
Although many providers have begun routinely asking patients for both their gender identity and their sex assigned at birth, these questions leave out a patient’s preferred name and pronouns – crucial components of respectful and affirming care, the authors explained.
At a specialty gender clinic, the authors surveyed 204 transgender youths, aged 12-26 years, regarding how their name and pronouns are recorded in their EMR files. Just over half the respondents were under age 18 years (56%), and most were white (86%). Most were transmasculine (59%), with 21% transfeminine and 20% nonbinary.
Most respondents (69%) went by a name other than their legal one, yet only 9% said they were frequently or always asked in clinical settings outside specialty gender centers whether they wanted their preferred name and pronouns noted in the EMR.
A majority (79%), however, said they wanted their name and pronouns noted throughout their EMR. The youths’ preferences varied according to their gender identity and how many people were aware of their gender identity, but not by age, race/ethnicity, or perceived amount of parental support.
Only two-thirds (67%) of 42 transfeminine patients wished their EMR to include their preferred name, compared with most (85%) of 121 transmasculine patients and nearly all (92%) of 37 nonbinary respondents (P = .007). Pronouns preferences were similar: All but one nonbinary respondent wanted their pronouns in the EMR, compared with 84% of transmasculine and 64% of transfeminine respondents (P=.0003).
“It may be that transfeminine patients have more pressure to ‘stay’ their assigned gender,” Dr Breuner said regarding these findings. “ ‘Outness’ may be challenging, and thus they remain in their traditional gender norms, but further research on this theory is warranted.”
Among those who were “out to everyone,” most (88%) wanted their preferred name and pronouns recorded in the EMR, and the proportion was similar for those “out to most.” But only 65% of those “out to few or no one” preferred their name and pronouns be noted in the EMR, a similar proportion for those “out to some.”
Of 7 youths who did not wish to include their name and pronouns throughout their EMR, all but one said they didn’t think it was necessary because they believed they already “passed” well enough as their gender. Just one person said they did not want name and pronouns recorded for confidentiality reasons.
However, confidentiality is still an important consideration particularly for minors, the authors and Dr. Breuner pointed out.
“It is essential to discuss confidentiality with the youth as parents may have access to the medical records younger than 18 years of age,” Dr. Breuner said.
The authors noted the study’s limitation in using a convenience sample but they and Dr. Breuner said that the findings still demonstrate transgender youths’ desire for EMRs to include their name and pronouns.
The research was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health. The authors had no industry disclosures.
SOURCE: Sequeira GM et al. JAMA Pediatrics. 2020 Feb 23. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.6071.