Effectiveness of transgender health training on healthcare students’ knowledge, attitudes, and perceived competency providing gender-affirming healthcare

Abstract

Gender-affirming healthcare is essential and potentially lifesaving for many transgender people; however, a dearth of healthcare professionals is available to provide this care. Transgender health literature has identified key barriers among healthcare professionals that decrease their likelihood of providing gender-affirming healthcare. Three of the most common barriers, attitudes towards transgender people, transgender health knowledge, and transgender health perceived competency are the dependent variables in this study. This repeated measures mixed-methods study investigated whether the Transgender Health Learning Series (THLS), an online transgender health training, improved healthcare students' attitudes, knowledge, and perceived competency in transgender health. Thirty-one nursing and physician assistant students at Northern Arizona University (NAU) participated in the study. Participants completed three measures to obtain baseline scores on each dependent variable. They then completed the same measures after the THLS to ascertain whether scores were significantly improved on one or more of the dependent variables. Participants also responded to written open-ended questions regarding their subjective experiences upon training completion. Twenty-one participants were interviewed to obtain richer qualitative data than possible with written responses. Quantitative data were analyzed using a repeated measures MANOVA followed by ANOVAs on each dependent variable. The qualitative data were coded into thematic categories. Results found a statistically significant multivariate effect, with univariate effects for knowledge and perceived competency, and there was no univariate effect for attitude. These results indicated that participants' knowledge and perceived competency in transgender health improved after completing the THLS, while their attitudes towards transgender people remained the same. Statistical results were supported by the qualitative data, which provided context for the statistics and feedback on possible enhancements to the THLS. Implications include that the THLS may be an effective addition to the university curriculum to improve healthcare students' knowledge and perceived competency in transgender health. Future research can help determine whether THLS maintains its effectiveness with licensed healthcare professionals and the generalizability of findings beyond NAU students