Evaluation of the Current Knowledge Base of Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations in the Transgender Population at an Academic Medical Center

Health care disparities within the LGBTQIA+ community are readily apparent. Guidelines have been published regarding breast cancer screening for transgender individuals. Uptake of these recommendations is widely unknown. The purpose of this study is to determine the current knowledge base of providers regarding these recommendations within our academic hospital system. A voluntary, anonymous survey was e-mailed to 303 recipients via RedCap to physicians within our academic hospital system. This assessed the respondents' current knowledge and comfort regarding breast cancer screening recommendations in the transgender population. 85 responses were received for a response rate of 28.1%. Descriptive statistics for all survey questions was conducted. 82.4% of respondents report caring for transgender patients. 62.4% report that they are not familiar with the current screening recommendations, and few (10.6%) have received formal education regarding the topic. The majority of respondents reported that they would be interested in receiving formal training. The results suggest that there is no difference in how individuals rate their current comfort level discussing breast cancer screening recommendations for the transgender population despite their current level of education. Our findings suggest that, while the majority of providers within our academic hospital system care for transgender patients, they are unfamiliar with current breast cancer screening recommendations and have received no formal training. The results also suggest that providers are interested in receiving formal education.