Caring for transgender cancer patients: Shortcomings of medical education.

Authors

null

Ernesto Gil Deza

Insituto Oncologico Henry Moore, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Ernesto Gil Deza , Mariana Abal , Lourdes Gil Deza , Carlos Garcia Gerardi , Gaston Martin Reinas , Flavio Tognelli , Daniela Gercovich , Cesar Gonzalez , María del Huerto Jaunarena , Rubén Lovisolo , Alfredo Navigante , Monica Montiel , Marcelo Andres Nunell , Leonel Smolje , Mariano G Fernandez , Estefania E Kaminski , Marcelo Muino , Inés Danussi , Eduardo L. Morgenfeld , Felipe G. Gercovich

Organizations

Insituto Oncologico Henry Moore, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Instituto Oncologico Henry Moore, Capital Federal, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Instituto Oncologico Henry Moore, Caba, Argentina, Instituto Oncológico Henry Moore, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Instituto Oncologico Henry Moore, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Universidad del Salvador, Caba, Argentina, Instituto Oncológico Henry Moore, Caba, Argentina, Instituto de Oncologia Angel H. Roffo, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Channuca - Visca, CABA, BSAS, Argentina, Universidad Del Salvador, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Instituto Henry Moore, Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Instituto Henry Moore, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Research Funding

No funding received
None

Background: Caring for transgender patients requires specific knowledge and skills. Medical schools spend less than 5 hours on average training for treatment of LGBT patients (Obedin-Maliver, JAMA, 306 (9), 971). This paper assesses the knowledge on the topic and skills of postgraduate Oncology students from Universidad del Salvador at the Observational Standard Clinical Examination (OSCE) 2019 (JCO 34 (15), Abstract e18150, 2017). Methods: At one of the stations of OSCE 2019, students had thirty minutes to complete a clinical record of a simulated transman patient with ovarian cancer stage IIIC. Based on the real case of Robert Eads, actors were trained with the documentary on his life “Southern Comfort”. Students were assessed on: A) knowledge of the transman condition, B) use of preferred gender pronoun by the patient, C) discontinuation of testosterone treatment, D) recommendation of genetic study, E) treatment of ovarian cancer according to NCCN guidelines, F) moral discomfort with LGBT patient care. All interviews were filmed or recorded by an observer. All films, recordings and clinical records were reviewed to rate the students' performance. Results: A total of 25 postgraduate Oncology students took the OSCE 2019. Assessment: A) 5/25 (20%) lacked knowledge of the transman condition, B) 3/25 (12%) did not use the patient's preferred gender pronoun, C) 17/25 (68%) discontinued testosterone, D) 23/25 (92%) requested genetic study, E) all students treated ovarian cancer according to NCCN guidelines, F) none expressed moral discomfort with LGBT patient care. Conclusions: 1) It is feasible to assess the knowledge and skills required for treatment of transgender patients in Oncology. 2) We found shortcomings of student's medical training regarding transgender patients: one in five did not understand the patient's condition, three did not use the patient´s preferred gender pronoun during the interview and more than half suspended the necessary hormone therapy for their condition. 3) This emphasizes the need to deepen our medical and communication skills in order to assist the transgender population and should be included in future ASCO-ASH milestones for specialty accreditation.

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Abstract Details

Meeting

2020 ASCO Virtual Scientific Program

Session Type

Clinical Science Symposium

Session Title

The Power of Diversity

Track

Medical Education and Professional Development

Sub Track

Education Research

Citation

J Clin Oncol 38: 2020 (suppl; abstr 11002)

DOI

10.1200/JCO.2020.38.15_suppl.11002

Abstract #

11002

Abstract Disclosures

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