Impact on patient satisfaction and importance of medical intake and office staff in a multidisciplinary, one-stop shop transgender program in Indianapolis, Indiana

Abstract

Background

Historically, the transgender population has postponed seeking primary care due to discrimination within social and medical settings. Very few studies have considered patient satisfaction with transgender care and whether there are differences in staff satisfaction. This cross-sectional study focuses on the satisfaction of transgender patients who receive primary care at a comprehensive, “one-stop shop” program in Indianapolis, IN, USA.

Methods

Sixty-two patients completed a patient satisfaction survey. Items consisted of 5-point Likert scales with anchors of satisfaction, caring, competence, and doctor recommendation.

Results

Overall, there were positive responses to all items, ranging from moderately high to very high. There was high overall satisfaction in the program’s trans-friendliness, office visits, and “one-stop shop” model. Lower scoring items concerned medical intake with appointment making and timing. There were no statistical differences across age, gender, education, duration at the program, and number of visits in the past 12 months. There were clear differences between how respondents viewed the care and competence of the program’s staff. In particular, the doctor was viewed most positively and office staff least positively with medical staff rated in-between.

Conclusion

There is high patient satisfaction with this comprehensive, “one-stop shop” care model among the transgender population. We recommend that transgender programs routinely conduct quality improvement measures, maintain sufficient workforce coverage, and provide cultural competency training which should include appropriate care standards and patient-centered concerns regarding appointment making and burdens associated with timing, traveling, and cost.

Keywords:

• cultural competency
• minority health
• multidisciplinary research
• patient satisfaction
• quality of care
• transgender persons

View correction statement:

Impact on Patient Satisfaction and Importance of Medical Intake and Office Staff in a Multidisciplinary, One-Stop Shop Transgender Program in Indianapolis, Indiana [Corrigendum]

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge and thank all the staff at the Eskenazi Transgender Health and Wellness Program for their help in the creation and distribution of the survey used in this study. Because this study was a quality improvement project and not considered research, the study was exempt from review by the Indiana University Institutional Review Board. There was no source of funding for this study.

Significance of work

There are very few transgender-specific programs in the United States. Only a handful of studies have considered patient satisfaction with the care provided to the transgender community. This study focuses on patient satisfaction within Indiana’s first transgender-specific outpatient program. This study reports very positive results overall and acknowledges the least endorsed items as issues surrounding medical intake. This study emphasizes the importance of efficient medical intake (ie, ease of appointment making, waiting time, and timing of office replies) on patient satisfaction. Extending these results, this study makes recommendations to existing and future transgender-specific programs on how to improve patient satisfaction.

Credentials

Dustin Nowaskie, MD: Dustin is a second-year psychiatry resident at the Department of Psychiatry of the Indiana University School of Medicine. He has specific interests in LGBTQ care and is the founder of the nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization OutCare Health.

Rachel Fogel, BA: Rachel is a clinical research assistant at the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She is currently applying to medical school and has an interest in global women’s health.

Janine Fogel, MD: Janine is a family medicine physician at Eskenazi Health. She is the founder of the first and only transgender program in Indiana.

Disclosure

The authors of this study report no conflicts of interests or competing affiliations, financial agreements, or other involvements with any company whose product figures in the manuscript, and no conflicts of interest in regard to this work.