Improving Gender-Affirming Surgery Terminology: A Multicenter Patient Survey.

Area of Science:

• Plastic Surgery
• Patient-Centered Care
• Gender-Affirming Medicine

Background:

• Patient-centered language is crucial for trust and safety in gender-affirming surgery.
• Existing terminology for gender-affirming surgery lacks evaluation from a patient perspective.
• Understanding patient perceptions of terminology is essential for improving communication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess patient perceptions of common terminology used in gender-affirming surgery.
• To identify preferred terms for gender-affirming procedures among patients.
• To inform plastic surgeons on patient-preferred language for enhanced communication.

Main Methods:

• An anonymous, 24-item electronic survey was administered to gender-affirming surgery patients across three US regions (Tennessee, Colorado, California).
• The survey instrument underwent pretesting and piloting with patients.
• Internal consistency of the survey was confirmed using Cronbach's alpha (0.87).

Main Results:

• "Top surgery" (83%) and "bottom surgery" (82%) were favored over "chest surgery" (41%) and "genital surgery" (30%).
• "Gender-affirming surgery" (86%) was preferred over "gender-confirming surgery" (67%).
• "Sex reassignment surgery" was perceived as inappropriate by 43% of respondents, and 80% preferred surgeons ask for their pronouns.

Conclusions:

• "Top surgery" and "bottom surgery" are favored terms for specific procedures.
• "Gender-affirming surgery" is the preferred umbrella term for the discipline.
• Openly discussing language preferences with patients is vital for professional communication and improved healthcare experiences.