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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Indian J Plast Surg 2022; 55(02): 129-138
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1751021
Systematic Review

Current Concepts in Gender-Affirming Surgery Postgraduate Training

Alexander N. Khouri 
1   Section of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
,
Caleb Haley
2   Medical School, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
,
Mark MacEachern
3   University of Michigan Taubman Health Sciences Library, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
,
Shane D. Morrison
1   Section of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
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Abstract

Background Recent advocacy efforts and expanded insurance coverage has increased health care utilization among transgender patients. Therefore, it is pivotal that surgical residents are properly trained to care for transgender patients in both clinical and surgical settings. Yet, no formal curriculum or training requirements exist for surgical residents. The aim of this systematic review is to understand the surgical trainee's postgraduate education and training with respect to transgender health and gender-affirming surgeries (GAS).

Methods A Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA)-compliant literature search was performed on December 04, 2020 in PubMed, Elsevier Embase, and Wiley Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. The retrieved hits were screened and reviewed by two independent reviewers.

Results Our literature search identified 186 unique publications, of which 14 surveys and one interventional study from various surgical specialties including plastic surgery, urology, otolaryngology, oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS), dermatology, and obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN) were included in this study. The majority of residents and program directors in surgical specialties believe education related to transgender health is important, and the current exposure in surgical training does not sufficiently prepare surgical residents to care for this marginalized population.

Conclusion Current postgraduate surgical training in gender-affirming surgery is nonuniform across surgical specialty, geographical region, and individual program. Incorporating training modules and hands-on experiences into surgical trainee education will better prepare residents for the numerous clinical and surgical interactions with transgender patients. Further research is required to better understand how to best incorporate these experiences into existing surgical curriculums.

Keywords

surgical education - transgender persons - gender-affirming surgery - residency

Financial Disclosures

The authors have no financial interest to declare.




Publication History

Received: 27 January 2021

Accepted: 17 March 2021

Article published online:
24 June 2022

© 2022. Association of Plastic Surgeons of India. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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