HIV-Related Healthcare Needs and Access Barriers for Brazilian Transgender and Gender Diverse People

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate HIV-related healthcare needs and access barriers for Brazilian transgender and gender diverse people. Data were collected from gender identity clinics and the questionnaire was also made available on the Internet. Out of the 543 participants-62.1% (n = 337) transgender women, 28.7 (n = 156) transgender men and 9.2% (n = 50) gender diverse people, 63.7% had been tested at least once in their lives. The prevalence of self-reported HIV-positive status among transgender women was 16.5%, of which 92.0% reported having a physician with whom they regularly consulted about HIV, whereas none of the transgender men or gender diverse people reported HIV-positive status. In addition, 8.2% of transgender men and 12.5% of gender diverse people did not know their serological status. Finally, 71.0% of the participants were unfamiliar with post-exposure prophylaxis. The study discusses the need for adequate behavior-oriented HIV health policies and training of healthcare professionals regarding the needs of Brazilian transgender and gender diverse people.

HIV continuum of care among trans women and travestis living in São Paulo, Brazil

“…This result may show a failure in the linkage to care; however, it is not a direct measure of this phenomenon. Note that the absence of prescription is not exclusively related to the difficulty in accessing medical services, but also to the low retention at health services as a consequence of stigma and discrimination faced by this population, especially the ones related to HIV 19 .…”

Training Needs Measure for Health Care of the LGBT+ Public

“…Currently there is a high demand for mental health care by non-heteronormative individuals (Müller, 2013). Reports from LGBT+ individuals (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transvestite and the + sign for the other gender names: Transgender, Queer and Intersex) indicate that they perceive a difference in the way they are cared for by health professionals, who provide assistance in a negative manner due to their sexual orientation, for example, incorrectly use their pronoun and social name, have disrespectful attitudes, do not consider the patient's opinion, and decisions are made exclusively by the professionals themselves (Alpert, Cichoskikelly, & Fox, 2017;Costa et al, 2018;Dowshen et al, 2016;Müller, 2013). From the point of view of the LGBT+ public, when seeking health services, they perceive: unpreparedness of professionals to deal with the gay public; use of jokes and debauches; impact on the eyes; amazement at the practices among lesbians; discriminatory gynecological care; lack of professional training; lack of attention to the LGBT+ population, among others (Carvalho & Philippi, 2013).…”

Atribuições de Causalidade pela Infecção por HIV

“…As atribuições, as reações emocionais de raiva e a menor disposição para ajudar podem acarretar em vivência direta de discriminação, o que pode levar à frequente evitação dos serviços de saúde por parte de usuárias/os homossexuais (Meyer, 1995). A evitação dos serviços de saúde torna essa população vulnerável à epidemia de HIV/AIDS (Costa et al, 2018).…”