AbstractObjective To explore changes in pharmacy students' attitudes, preparedness, and knowledge of gender-affirming therapy (GAT) following a multicomponent educational intervention, conducted during a time of heightened focus on transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) health. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in Fall 2022 and 2023. Two cohorts were surveyed: the Intervention Comparison Cohort (ICC), who received curriculum-based GAT instruction during their third year, and the Parallel Control Cohort (PCC), who receive no structured training. The intervention included a two-hour didactic session on TGD health and a two-hour lab with application-based strategies. Students collaborated on a drug therapy consult note, then individually delivered SBAR-format recommendations to a simulated provider and counseled a simulated patient. Surveys assessing attitudes, preparedness, and TGD health knowledge were administered at baseline and one year later. Data were analyzed to assess within- and between-cohorts changes over time. Results A total of 245 surveys were analyzed (127 PCC; 118 ICC). ICC students demonstrated greater improvements in preparedness to provide GAT counseling (73.1% vs. 6.3%) and make clinical GAT recommendations (69.2% vs. 15.6%) compared to PCC students. ICC students also reported greater confidence in locating and using TGD-related clinical resources. ICC knowledge of feminizing hormone significantly increased from 32.5% to 82.9% post-intervention. Exploratory findings suggested stronger baseline support for TGD content and greater GAT knowledge gains among students with personal connections to TGD individuals. Conclusion This study supports the effectiveness and feasibly of integrating brief, applied GAT training into pharmacy curricula to enhancing student readiness to provide affirming, patient-centered care.
Mercer et al. (Fri,) studied this question.
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