Promoting a gender-affirming environment in research: implications for research nurses

Background: Approximately 25 million people around the world identify as transgender, and the numbers are growing. While visibility of transgender communities has increased, significant healthcare disparities remain. Transgender individuals report being less inclined to share their sex assigned at birth due to fear of stigmatization and mistrust of the medical community. The mistrust and inequity experienced by transgender individuals are not limited to clinical care and may extend to clinical research as well. Aim and method: The aim of this paper is to start a conversation about barriers to participating in research and the role of research staff, specifically the Clinical Research Nurse, in promoting engagement of transgender individuals in clinical research trials. Discussion and conclusions: A discussion of safety considerations, data integrity, and implications for data management is included. Because disparities may result in large part from lack of education and knowledge on best practices for providing care for this population, recommendations for fostering a culture of competence and gender-affirming care among research professionals featuring the role of the research nurse will be discussed.