Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34295744›Full record

ReviewTranslational andrology and urology2021

A systematic review of decision aids for gender affirming therapy.

Peter Scalia, Katherine M Tighe, Glyn Elwyn, Pamela J Bagley, Heather B Blunt, Benjamin Boh, Oakland C Walters, Rachel A Moses

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Translational andrology and urology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. A systematic review of patient decision aids for hypertension.BMC medical informatics and decision making · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Evaluating quality, understandability, and actionability of YouTube content for gender-affirming surgery.Canadian Urological Association journal = Journal de l'Association des urologues du Canada · 2025
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Peter ScaliaThe Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA.
Katherine M TigheThe Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA.
Glyn ElwynThe Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA.
Pamela J BagleyBiomedical Libraries, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA.
Heather B BluntBiomedical Libraries, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA.
Benjamin BohDartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA.
Oakland C WaltersDartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA.
Rachel A MosesDartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA.

Funding

Decision Making in Transmasculine Genital Reconstruction Surgery (TMGRS)R21DK124733 · NIDDK · DARTMOUTH-HITCHCOCK CLINIC · PI MOSES, RACHEL A · 2020 to 2021
$548k
NIDDK NIH HHS R21 DK124733
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTransgender and gender diverse (TGD) persons considering gender affirming therapy have to make many complex medical decisions, potentially without understanding the associated harms or benefits of hormonal and surgical interventions. Further, clinicians are often unaware of how best to communicate information to persons seeking gender affirming therapy. Patient decision aids have been developed to provide evidence-based information as a way to help people make decisions in collaboration with their clinicians. It is unclear whether such tools exist for persons seeking gender affirming therapy. The objective of our systematic review is to search for and determine the quality of any existing patient decision aids developed for TGD persons considering gender affirming therapy, and the outcomes associated with their use.

methodsWe adapted a search strategy for databases using two key concepts "decision support intervention/patient decision aid" and "transgender". We also conducted a brief online search of Google and abstracts from relevant conferences to identify any tools not published in the academic literature. Following study selection and data extraction, we used the International Patient Decision Aid Standards instrument (IPDASi) to assess the quality of patient decision aids, and the Standards for UNiversal reporting of patient Decision Aid Evaluations (SUNDAE) checklist to assess the quality of evaluations.

resultsWe identified 762 studies; none were identified from Google or conference content. One tool met our inclusion criteria: an online, pre-encounter patient decision aid for transmasculine genital gender-affirming surgery developed in Amsterdam, translated in English and Dutch. The tool met all the IPDASi qualifying criteria, and scored a 17/28 on the certification criteria, and 57/112 on the quality criteria. The efficacy of the patient decision aid has not been evaluated.

conclusionsDespite multiple decisions required for gender affirming therapies, only one patient decision aid has been developed for transmasculine genital reconstruction. Further research is required to develop patient decision aids for the multiple decision points along the gender affirming journey.

Indexed as

Decision support interventionspatient decision aidsshared decision makingtransgender

Identifiers

PMID34295744
PMCPMC8261453

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.