Toward Understanding Culturally Sensitive Care for Transgender Blood Donors: A Scoping Review of Health Care Provider Knowledge

Transgender is an umbrella term for individuals whose gender differs from the sex assigned at birth. Some transgender blood donors report distressing donation experiences, indicating possible challenges in providing culturally sensitive care to this group. Discourse regarding best practices for transgender blood donor care is absent in current literature. To begin to address this gap, a systematic scoping review applying Arksey and O'Malley's methodological framework was undertaken to identify studies involving health care providers (HCPs) and their knowledge and experiences delivering care to transgender patients. Eight studies of 256 eligible articles and studies met inclusion criteria. Thematic analysis revealed both health care system gaps and practice gaps. System gaps included rigid binary intake processes, uncertainty regarding how transgender individuals are identified in practice, and difficulties knowing when to ask about and use pronouns. Practice gaps identified a lack of education to assist in caring for transgender individuals, as evidenced by confusion with and conflating of terminology and pathologizing of transgender patients. Additionally, biases regarding the preference and prevalence of gender-affirming medical interventions and confusion regarding how and when to discuss these interventions with transgender patients were found. HCPs also exhibited a lack of understanding of how the health care system can be stigmatizing for transgender individuals and how this stigma can elevate patient health risks. Key knowledge gaps were identified and best practice recommendations were highlighted, which (if examined at blood centers) might improve provision of culturally sensitive care for transgender donors.