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Introduction
The modern healthcare sector experiences radical changes preconditioned by the increased diversity of patients needs and a high number of medical issues that should be addressed. One of the main purposes of this reformation is to create a tolerant environment that will be able to face cultural diversity and provide patients with all they might need. For this reason, tolerance and readiness to consider all specific needs acquire the top priority. Health workers are trained to assess patients needs and be ready to introduce a customized approach demonstrating the best results. However, despite numerous attempts to attain enhanced outcomes and eliminate problems based on cultural or ethical aspects, problematic issues still exist. For instance, the transgender community reports that at the moment, it faces numerous barriers to care because of health workers inability to consider their specific needs and their lack of competence in the given sphere.
Background
The gradual increase of the topicality of this problem could be observed today. It is stipulated by the high number of gender reassignment surgeries and peoples readiness to undergo this procedure. Moreover, shifts in individuals mentalities resulted in alteration of attitudes to transgenders and their diverse needs. The coherent society is ready to accept the fact that some people want to change their gender because of the peculiarities of their psyche (Brazo, 2016). However, in fact, they should be ready to experience severe hardships as the healthcare sector is not prepared to work with these people appropriately, as there are several barriers that are observed in the healthcare setting.
Ethical Issues
First, there are numerous ethical issues. Very often, patients representing this category might be misgendered (Brazo, 2016). This might happen because of a lack of attention or a health workers inability to understand these individuals have specific needs. It becomes a significant problem and terrifies transgender people as they find it humiliating to explain their sexual identity. Recent research demonstrates that in 45% of cases, a health worker might use biased language or misgender patients (Brazo, 2016). It is an important challenge for the sphere as such misunderstandings deteriorate its image and result in a decreased level of trust among transgender patients who need care. They would rather prefer to ignore a health problem and avoid communication with health workers to preserve their dignity than go to the hospital (Brazo, 2016). The situation is even more difficult for gender non-conforming individuals as they often might not be identified with the female-male binary (Kates & Ranj, 2014). In this regard, the reconsideration of the approach is needed.
Insurance
Second, numerous problems with insurance might appear. The fact is that the modern system does not include specific measures for transgender patients whose needs differ from common ones (Brazo, 2016). At the moment, the system is being restructured; however, there are still numerous gaps. For instance, in accordance with the recent research, only one in three LGBT individuals with incomes under 400%FPL could become insured (Watkinson & Sunderland, 2017). It remains a significant problem both for the healthcare sector and for the transgender community, which could be considered a risk group because of its health status. Moreover, poor individuals belonging to this group often remain uninsured and left out of the system because of the denial of coverage or providers inability to consider their specific health needs (Watkinson & Sunderland, 2017). Under these conditions, transgender people become deprived of the opportunity to acquire high-quality health care and suffer from numerous health issues.
Lack of Education
Third, the lack of education on trans health among nurses and other health workers becomes another crucial challenge that worsens the situation in the given sphere. The fact is that these patients physical and emotional health and experiences are different from traditional ones (Watkinson & Sunderland, 2017). The unique character of surgery they underwent and alternations in their mentality demands a particular approach to satisfy their current needs. However, the majority of health workers demonstrate the lack of competence related to the issue and feel unprepared. It might result in the above-mentioned mistakes when communicating with patients or delivering care to them.
Policies
Finally, the current policy that regulates the functioning of the healthcare sector does not presuppose any measures to assess transgender peoples needs and introduce practices to satisfy them (Watkinson & Sunderland, 2017). Moreover, it does not provide specified access to care and coverage for LGBT individuals. Under these conditions, it could be considered not efficient enough to ensure preservation and monitoring of their health.
Conclusion
Altogether, transgender people face numerous barriers to healthcare nowadays. The fact is that their diverse needs need some particular attention different from the traditional one. For this reason, health workers should be provided with additional training and education on trans health to avoid mistakes and misunderstandings. Moreover, the current health insurance programs do not include specific points to work with transgenders and offer a customized approach to them. For this reason, they might become uninsured. Under these conditions, the need for alterations in the sphere is obvious. The healthcare sector should be ready to mind all needs of LGBT individuals and provide them with the appropriate environment and care.
References
Brazo, A. (2016). Overcoming barriers to healthcare for the transgender community. Web.
Kates, J., & Ranj, U. (2014). Health care access and coverage for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community in the United States: Opportunities and challenges in a new era. Web.
Watkinson, D., & Sunderland, C. (2017) How discrimination affects access to healthcare for transgender people. Nursing Times, 113(4), 36-39. Web.
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