The Health Care Experience of a Transgender Woman: The Role of the Consultation-Liaison Psychiatrist in Advocacy Against Discrimination in the Hospital Setting.

INTRODUCTION: Transgender individuals are at increased risk for health disparities and commonly avoid seeking health care due to experiences of mistreatment, stigma and discrimination. METHODS: We discuss the case of a young transgender woman with no prior psychiatric history presenting with feelings of frustration in the context of repeated misgendering and misnaming on the medical floor. The primary care team described the patient as "agitated," prompting psychiatric consultation. DISCUSSION: We examine how stigma and discrimination impacts the provider-patient relationship for gender and racial minorities, while highlighting the role of the Consultation-Liaison (CL) psychiatrist in advocacy in the hospital setting. Misgendering, misnaming, and other forms of discrimination against gender minorities are harmful and further fuel health and health care disparities in this population. We propose several interventions to mitigate the negative outcomes of misgendering in the hospital setting. CONCLUSION: It is imperative to ensure a trans-affirmative environment for patients while keeping an open-ended, non-judgmental, and inclusive attitude in the clinical setting. Staff education, multidisciplinary and collaborative approach as well as open communication between team members should be implemented on a broad scale to reduce biased provider-patient interactions and their harmful consequences to transgender individuals.