Nurse Practitioner Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs When Caring for Transgender People

Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore Nurse Practitioner (NP) knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs when working with transgender people and to inform about Practitioner education needs. Methods: A qualitative descriptive design was used to explore (NP) experiences. Focused semistructured interviews were conducted in 2016 with 11 ( N =11) NPs in the northeastern United States who represent various years of experience and encounters with transgender patients. The interviews explored NP knowledge attitudes and beliefs when caring for transgender patients and described their overall experiences in rendering care in the clinical setting. The interviews were professionally transcribed and analyzed independently and jointly by two investigators using conventional content analysis. Results: Four main themes and six subthemes were identified: Main themes include personal and professional knowledge gaps, fear and uncertainty, caring with intention and pride, and creating an accepting environment. Conclusions: NPs in this study perceive gaps in their knowledge that threaten their ability to deliver quality, patient-centered care to transgender patients, despite their best intentions. These findings have implications for changes in nursing practice, education, and research needed to address vital gaps in the healthcare of transgender people.