Offering Medical Providers Capacity and Competence in Caring for Transgender and Non-binary Patients: Evaluation of a Pilot Digital Training Program

Purpose: Stigma and discrimination in health care settings contribute to health disparities for transgender and non-binary (TGNB) people. Evidence suggests that a lack of training on the care for transgender and non-binary TGNB patients in medical school curricula has contributed to providers feeling unprepared to provide quality care for this population. Health care providers have the opportunity to play a key role in the reduction of health disparities for TGNB patients. Methods: Twenty-five health care providers completed the eight-module digital training program. Pre- and post-tests assessed provider knowledge, self-efficacy, preparedness, and behavior. Paired samples t-tests were conducted to compare pre-and post-test results. Results: Health care providers’ self-reported knowledge, self-efficacy, and preparedness increased significantly (p = .000) from pre-test to post-test. Increases in assessed knowledge were not statistically significant. The majority (92%) of participants reported having already used something they learned from the training. Eighty percent of participants were “very likely” or “extremely likely” to recommend transCONNECT to a colleague. Discussion: Based on the evaluation results, digital training can be an effective method of increasing medical providers’ competence in caring for TGNB patients. Participants had an overall positive experience with the training regarding both content as well as with the online training platform. Arguably the most significant outcome was the enthusiasm and appreciation expressed by participants both formally through the evaluation as well as informally through interactions with the project management team