The safety and dignity of our patients is always our top priority. Whilst we don’t perform surgery here at Waterside Clinic, we do refer trans patients on for surgery elsewhere, so it was encouraging to hear that new guidelines had been created to safeguard trans surgical patients as they embark on the next stage of their journey.
A long overdue step forward
The guidelines, published in Anaesthesia – the journal of the Association of Anaesthetists, cover the peri-operative care of transgender and gender-diverse individuals. Despite the fact that most doctors will at some stage in their career provide care to someone who is transgender or gender-diverse, the guidelines are the first of their kind. Prior to their publication, there was no other document that covered the same scope or focus, which shows just how overdue this positive step forward is.
In fact, the guidelines state “It has been highlighted frequently by both transgender healthcare charities and government bodies that transgender and gender-diverse individuals face significant health inequity and that healthcare professional knowledge and practice specific to their care must improve”, so these new guidelines come not a moment too soon.
Key recommendations
The new guidelines were devised by experts, including doctors from the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and the University of Cambridge. They set out 15 key recommendations relating to the care of transgender people before and after general surgery.
One of the recommendations is the use of gender-inclusive language, confirming and using a patient’s preferred name and pronouns. This is an important step forward, and something we at Waterside Clinic believe is applicable to everyday life, not just within medical settings.
It also recommends the use of digital pre-assessment questionnaires which would allow the patient to disclose their gender and sex at birth in private. We understand how triggering questions about a patient’s sex at birth can be, so to give patients the option to answer these questions in the comfort of their own home is a positive step forward.
The guidelines also advise that someone’s transgender identity should only be shared with the patient’s consent, if it is deemed to be important to their care. And this information should be treated with the same level of confidentiality as any other sensitive personal information.
With regards to accommodating trans patients, the guidelines state that trans patients should be cared for in an environment that “respects their gender identity… in some circumstances, this may involve providing a single room”.
Our reaction to the new guidelines
As a team that advocates for the rights, safety and dignity of trans patients, we at Waterside Clinic welcome these new guidelines. We understand that accessing healthcare can be especially difficult for some trans people so we hope these guidelines will help to break down those barriers to care and reassure trans people that their health and wellbeing matters.
If you would like to find out more about our services, get in touch with our friendly team on 0131 202 5314, or email us on hello@waterside.clinic and we’ll be happy to support you.