Exploring Patient Satisfaction among Transgender and Non-Binary Identified Healthcare Users: The Role of Microaggressions and Inclusive Healthcare Settings
Patient satisfaction is an important indicator of quality of healthcare delivery. Transgender and non-binary (TGNB) people regularly report experiencing discrimination when in healthcare settings and few TGNB-inclusive services are available. Researchers have not examined how discrimination and access to TGNB-inclusive services are associated with patient satisfaction among TGNB healthcare users. Among a convenience sample of TGNB people (n = 146) from Canada and the United States, I examined the relationship between patient satisfaction, experiencing microaggressions from primary healthcare providers, and receiving care in a TGNB-inclusive healthcare setting.
The results from a multivariable linear regression suggest that experiencing microaggressions is negatively associated with patient satisfaction while obtaining services from an inclusive healthcare setting is positively associated with satisfaction. These findings emphasize the importance of preparing healthcare providers to engage in inclusive practice with TGNB healthcare users, especially in terms of avoiding microaggressions. They also highlight the importance of creating TGNB-inclusive healthcare settings in fostering patient satisfaction. Researchers, medical professionals, and others working towards health equity, should consider the implications of these findings when developing solutions to improve healthcare access and patient satisfaction
