Abstract

Transgender and Gender Diverse (TGD) patients face significant health disparities and remain an underserved population, especially in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Additionally, many Obstetricians and Gynecologists (OB/GYNs) may feel unprepared to treat transgender health-specific concerns due to a lack of robust medical curriculum. This study was designed as a scoping review to identify areas of improvement in medical education affecting treatment of TGD patients by OB/GYNs. The search was restricted to include articles in English, focused on TGD patients treated by an OB/GYN, and on medical education in the United States. The main domains assessed were surveys of current knowledge of medical students and OB/GYNs, factors that TGD patients identified as barriers to treatment and comfort with OB/GYNs, and medical curriculum. In many studies, OB/GYN participants responded as feeling unprepared or uncomfortable in their knowledge to treat TGD patients, with some reporting they had not received any training on care of TGD patients. Additionally, surveys of TGD patients identified that they were hesitant to seek care from an OB/GYN because they worried they would need to educate the physician on transgender health. In all studies that included educational interventions, participants had increased knowledge and comfort in treating TGD patients. In conclusion, this review identified lack of knowledge and comfort in treating TGD patients in OB/GYN physicians and medical students as areas to improve in medical education. All interventions, whether virtual or in-person, provided an increase in knowledge, and many participating medical students and physicians were interested in further education. Future educational interventions may be beneficial in increasing TGD patient trust in OB/GYN providers and decreasing perceived barriers to care.