Addressing iatrophobia in transgender patients

Transgender patients continue to receive suboptimal health care due to transphobia and inadequate trans-competency of health care professionals. Lack of adequate training and exposure may lead to improper bedside manners. This factor is among many other systemic and latent ones that inculcate a feeling of iatrophobia in transgender patients. This damages the patient-doctor relationship severely and ultimately results in suboptimal health care outcomes. This paper discusses the causes of iatrophobia in transgender patients and the steps that health care professionals can take to address this phenomenon. The authors believe that health care professionals that pay heed to this paper will greatly improve the competency of their care toward their transgender patients.