TY  - JOUR
AU  - Kahn, Nicole F
AU  - Anan, Yomna H
AU  - Bocek, Kevin M
AU  - Christakis, Dimitri A
AU  - Richardson, Laura P
AU  - Pratt, Wanda
AU  - Sequeira, Gina M
PY  - 2023
DA  - 2023/2/14
TI  - Understanding Transgender and Gender-Diverse Youth’s Experiences Receiving Care via Telemedicine: Qualitative Interview Study
JO  - JMIR Pediatr Parent
SP  - e42378
VL  - 6
KW  - transgender and gender diverse youth
KW  - adolescent
KW  - telemedicine
KW  - gender-affirming care
KW  - qualitative methods
KW  - COVID-19
KW  - pandemic
KW  - youth
KW  - gender
KW  - care
KW  - technical
KW  - implementation
KW  - transgender
KW  - gender diverse
KW  - complexity
AB  - Background: Access to virtual care has increased since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, yet little is known about transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) youth’s experiences and perspectives on receiving care via telemedicine. Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore these experiences to (1) inform necessary changes to the provision of pediatric gender-affirming care and (2) help providers and health systems determine if and how telemedicine should be made available post pandemic. Methods: Youth (aged 14-17 years) who completed a telemedicine visit in the Seattle Children’s Gender Clinic were invited to participate in a semistructured interview exploring perceived advantages or disadvantages of telemedicine and preferred visit modalities. Interview transcriptions were analyzed by 2 research team members using an inductive thematic analysis framework. Results: A total of 15 TGD youth completed an interview. Commonly cited advantages of telemedicine were convenience and comfort with having visits in their own environments. Reported disadvantages included technical issues, discomfort with the impersonal nature, lack of familiarity with the platform, and privacy concerns. Overall, slightly more youth preferred in-person visits over telemedicine, referencing both specific characteristics of the clinical visit (ie, initial vs return and complexity) and proximity to the clinic as reasons for this preference. Although a plurality of TGD youth preferred in-person visits, they also recognized the value of telemedicine and the impact it may have in facilitating access to care. Conclusions: Given the variations in needs and visit complexity, our study supports the provision of both in-person and telemedicine modalities as options for pediatric gender-affirming care. 
SN  - 2561-6722
UR  - https://pediatrics.jmir.org/2023/1/e42378
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/42378
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36745775
DO  - 10.2196/42378
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/42378
ER  -