Transgender Youths' Perspectives on Telehealth for Delivery of Gender-Affirming Care

Abstract

Purpose: We aimed to examine transgender youths' interest in receiving gender-affirming care via telemedicine or through primary care with telehealth support. Methods: We surveyed 12- to 26-year-old transgender youth receiving care in a multidisciplinary gender clinic. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analyses were used to assess relationships between demographic and gender-related characteristics and interest in receiving care via telemedicine. Results: Almost half (47%) of the 204 youth surveyed expressed interest in receiving gender care via telemedicine. Additionally, youth with lower levels of perceived parental support were more likely to express an interest in utilizing telemedicine (p = .001). Approximately half (45%) of youth were interested in receiving gender care in the primary care setting, with a majority expressing willingness to do so if their primary care provider had telehealth support. Conclusions: Many transgender youth expressed interest in receiving gender care via telehealth, particularly for ongoing care and monitoring. Increased interest in telemedicine was seen among youth with lower perceived parental support.