Transgender Health Care

 

    Gender affirming care is a topic that has been experiencing lots of controversy within the political

landscape, but within the pharmacy field gender affirming medication therapy is seen as an opportunity

to use our skills as medication experts to best help our patients. Approximately 1.6 million patients in

the United States are receiving some form of gender affirming medication therapy. Clinical pharmacists

have been utilized more recently in the management of stable patients receiving long-term medical care,

such as in diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, etc. For many individuals receiving gender affirming

medical treatment after a year on their feminizing or masculinizing medications they only have to have

slight adjustments to doses based on a biannual primary care visit with labs.

    Addition of a pharmacist during this required visits during the maintenance phase of the patient’s transition would increase access to gender affirming care. Pharmacists would be able to properly assess the patient’s labs and feelings regarding their transition and then assess next steps. In some clinics under a collaborative practice agreement pharmacists could even adjust doses of, stop, or start gender affirming medications. Pharmacists can have a particularly important insight into gender affirming medical treatments as many hormones and other drugs that may be used in transition have complex adverse effects and drug-drug interactions. 

    Finally a core part of pharmacists' addition to the care team of gender nonconforming patients will be education of pharmacists. Many may have the best intentions, but still fall short when it comes to using appropriate language within their practice. A quarter of transgender people have delayed receiving healthcare due to fear of being harassed or judged. Pharmacists must go beyond milquetoast attempts to be “non-offensive” and work towards making their practice be one that transgender people seek out!