Efficacy of a co-designed transgender health training program for primary care general practitioners

Background and Objective: Transgender and gender diverse (trans) people face challenges accessing healthcare, reflecting a need to better support General Practitioners (GPs) with training. In response, the State Government in Victoria, Australia funded the creation of a training program for GPs working in the community. We aimed to evaluate the program’s impact on GP’s self-reported competence, change of practice, and access to collegial support. Methods: A training module was co-designed by trans and cisgender practitioners, including GPs from LGBTIQA+ focused clinics in Victoria, Australia. Participants completed surveys pre-training, post-training, and 3 months after training. Mean competency score comparisons and odds ratios of pre- and post-training were analyzed. Results: A total of 86, 45 and 17 doctors completed the pre-training, post-training and 3-month follow-up surveys respectively. Attrition in survey responses between time points may be partially attributable to COVID-19 related practitioner survey fatigue, in addition to 32 participants not being eligible for the follow up survey due to the timing of course delivery within the context of ongoing project delivery. Competence improved across all areas, with post-training showing higher odds of higher competency levels compared to pre-training. The majority of respondents found the learning content, lack of cost, online access, and trans co-design “very appealing,” with co-design rated most highly. Access to collegial support increased, and every participant anticipated change of practice. Discussion: Trans-led training projects have potential to improve healthcare sector capacity for this significantly under-served population.