Bemötande av transsexuella i vården – ur ett patientperspektiv

Abstract

The aim of this study is to highlight the experiences transgender patients have of health care. Our society is dominated by a heteronormative perspective, both in health care and the society as whole. Even in our education programs there are rarely information about different gender identities. This creates barriers for the patients, e.g. transsexuals, who don’t fit into these norms. This may have a negative impact on the quality of the health care provided. There are different ways to define and categorize sex, e.g. as biological and as social. The social sex is what we usually classify as gender identity and that is the definition we use in this survey. We as nurses’ have a duty to give equal health care to every patient no matter who this patient is. This duty is not always followed which is why we’ve chosen to make this survey. We have performed a literature survey over studies that show how transsexuals are treated in health care institutions. The studies generally have three themes in common. Our review clearly shows that transgender patients don’t have the same quality of health care that other patients’ do. Several examples of discriminating behavior were found, e.g. caregivers refusing to use the preferred name or pronoun of the patient. In some cases they stared at the patient or totally ignored them or even referred them to mental care. It is not only in the meeting with caregivers that is discriminating, it is also in policies and the documents that are used in health care. Our result clearly shows that we have to improve health care for transsexuals and we hope this survey will highlight the areas that have to change.