New guidance on peri-operative care of transgender and gender-diverse individuals is today published in Anaesthesia (the journal of the Association of Anaesthetists) to guide best practice to ensure the safety and dignity of transgender and gender-diverse people in the peri-operative period. The guidance has been produced by a working group of experts including Dr Stuart Edwardson, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK, and Dr Luke Flower, Victor Philip Dahdaleh Heart and Lung Research Institute, Cambridge, UK, and colleagues. The number of people openly identifying as transgender and/or gender diverse has increased significantly over the past decade, most likely as a result of emerging clarity and comfort with open expression.
Census estimates from 2021 identified 262,000 people living in the UK identifying with a gender that does not correspond with that assigned at birth. It is worth noting that this is a lower estimate than others, most likely due to hesitation of people to disclose. Around 50% of transgender and gender-diverse people are currently undergoing some form of medical treatment for gender affirmation (whether this is hormonal therapy, surgical affirmation or both), and a further 25% are not currently accessing gender-affirming medical interventions but wish to.
Many aspects of these interventions provide specific and important considerations for the anaesthetist in the peri-operative period. The authors say: "Transgender and gender-diverse people compris.