Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41393837›Full record

ArticleSSM. Qualitative research in health2025

Examining access to gender-affirming surgery: A community-based thematic analysis of structural and systemic barriers and supports.

Braveheart Gillani, Amine Sahmoud, Daniel Hamilton, Erika Kelley, Shubham Gupta, Gulnar Feerasta, Swagata Banik, Rachel Pope

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in SSM. Qualitative research in health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. 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.

Braveheart GillaniSchool of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-4637-3983
Amine SahmoudUniversity Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Department of OBGYN, 11100 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
Daniel HamiltonCase Western Reserve University, Department of Anthropology, 11220 Bellflower Road, Cleveland, OH, 44106-7125, USA.
Erika KelleyUniversity Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Department of OBGYN, Division of Behavioral Medicine, 11100 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
Shubham GuptaUniversity Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Urology Institute, 11100 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
Gulnar FeerastaThe LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland, Managing Director, 6705 Detroit Ave, Cleveland, OH, 44102, USA.
Swagata BanikSt. Bonaventure University, Dean of the Dennis R. DePerro School of Health Professions, 3261 West State Road, St. Bonaventure, NY, 14778, USA.
Rachel PopeUniversity Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Department of OBGYN, 11100 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.

Funding

Using Lay Health Advisors to Help African American Patients Address the Social Context of HypertensionU54MD002265 · NIMHD · CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY · PI SEHGAL, ASHWINI · 2017 to 2021
$7.1M
NIMHD NIH HHS U54 MD002265
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objectives: To identify and explore the barriers and facilitators to accessing gender-affirming surgery (GAS) for transgender and gender-diverse individuals (TGDI) using a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach. This study aims to assess the impact of structural, social, and systemic factors on the accessibility of GAS and to highlight key facilitators that improve healthcare access and overall well-being for TGDI individuals. Methods: Thematic analysis of focus groups was performed to identify barriers and facilitators experienced by the participants in accessing this care. Results: 35 TGDI (9 Trans Women, 8 Trans Men, 5 Non-binary individuals, and one person identifying as other) were Conclusion: This study highlights how TGDI face compounded barriers to GAS, including the emotional burden of navigating insurance and WPATH criteria, gatekeeping, and identity erasure. Community networks-especially chosen families and peer knowledge-sharing-emerged as critical facilitators. Beyond increasing representation, findings point to the need for reforming eligibility pathways, provider training in trauma-informed care, and investment in community-based infrastructures that already support access.

Indexed as

Barriers to healthcare accessCommunity-based participatory researchGender-affirming surgeryHealth disparitiesTransgender health

Identifiers

PMID41393837
PMCPMC12700600

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.