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Description
This project addresses the problem of poor knowledge about transgender people in medicine and discrimination of transgender people in medical facilities. This leads to stressful situations for both parties and is traumatizing for patients. In such situations, the transgender people themselves take on the task of raising awareness. Unfortunately, LGBT+ people have become a target in a political and media hate campaign in recent years and are increasing used in a political war. Transphobic comments by the Ombudsman for Children are just one example. It will probably be a long time before anti-discrimination issues will be included in official personnel training programs. A practical handbook on transgender persons will be produced for health service personnel. The publication will include specification information, such as checklists, on specific procedures in health service clinics, emergency wards, doctors’ surgeries, etc. Along with promulgation of standards, there will be a series of training sessions and a handbook ambassador system will be introduced – medical students and professionals; these persons will be spokespeople for introduction of the handbook in their places of work or internship. The locations in which the recommended solutions are implemented will be placed on an interactive map for patients. The immediate target group is health service personnel (midwives, paramedics, gynecologists), who will improve their knowledge of transgender issues and soft skills concerning procedures for dealing with transgender patients. In fact, the project will mainly benefit transgender people – they will have greater comfort when using medical services at the clinics concerned.
Summary of project results
The project addresses the problem of low knowledge of transgender people in the medical community and discrimination against transgender people in medical care units. This results in situations that are stressful for both parties and traumatising for patients. Often in these situations, it is the transgender people themselves who take it upon themselves to educate others. Unfortunately, in recent years LGBT+ people have become the target of a political and media hate campaign, and transgender people themselves are increasingly exploited politically. It is in vain to find anti-discrimination content in the official curricula and training of medical personnel.
The project developed tools, so-called ‘helpers’, for health care personnel on transgender people. The Project Promoter developed prototypes of the tools, tested them and created the final versions of the helpers. Methods used included working groups, workshop meetings with medical students, consultations with health care professionals, individual work by experts. The tools were published electronically and more than 100 copies of the handbook were printed. The publication contains specific knowledge relating to specific management situations in outpatient clinics, EDs, doctors'' surgeries, etc. The dissemination of the standards was accompanied by a series of training sessions and the implementation of a system of ambassadors of the helper - medical students and professionals; people acted to implement the helper in their places of work or internship. The places where the recommended solutions were implemented were recorded on an interactive map accessible to patients.
The direct target group of the project was health care professionals (midwives, paramedics and EMTs, gynaecologists), who improved their transgender knowledge and soft competences in dealing with transgender patients and clients. A total of 414 people took part in the training courses. However, transgender people in particular have benefited from the project - thanks to the tools implemented, their comfort related to the use of medical assistance in selected facilities is increasing. An important result of the project is the inclusion of the student helper in the academic textbook and in the core curriculum of the ‘Multiculturalism in Medicine’ course at the Medical University of Białystok.