Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now
U.S. flag
An official website of the United States government
Veterans Benefits and Health Care About VA Find a VA Location

VA Health Systems Research

Go to the VA ORD website
Go to the QUERI website

HSR&D Citation Abstract

Search | Search by Center | Search by Source | Keywords in Title

Transphobia, encoded: an examination of trans-specific terminology in SNOMED CT and ICD-10-CM.

Ram A, Kronk CA, Eleazer JR, Goulet JL, Brandt CA, Wang KH. Transphobia, encoded: an examination of trans-specific terminology in SNOMED CT and ICD-10-CM. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA. 2022 Jan 12; 29(2):404-410.

Related HSR&D Project(s)

Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects.

If you have VA-Intranet access, click here for more information vaww.hsrd.research.va.gov/dimensions/

VA staff not currently on the VA network can access Dimensions by registering for an account using their VA email address.    Search Dimensions for VA for this citation
* Don't have VA-internal network access or a VA email address? Try searching the free-to-the-public version of Dimensions


Abstract:

Transgender people experience harassment, denial of services, and physical assault during healthcare visits. Electronic health record (EHR) structure and language can exacerbate the harm they experience by using transphobic terminology, emphasizing binary genders, and pathologizing transness. Here, we investigate the ways in which SNOMED CT and ICD-10-CM record gender-related terminology and explore their shortcomings as they contribute to this EHR-mediated violence. We discuss how this "standardized" gender-related medical terminology pathologizes transness, fails to accommodate nonbinary patients, and uses derogatory and outmoded language. We conclude that there is no easy fix to the transphobia beleaguering healthcare, provide options to reduce harm to patients, and ultimately call for a critical examination of medicine's role in transphobia. We aim to demonstrate the ways in which the [mis]use and [mis]understanding of gender-specific terminology in healthcare settings has harmed and continues to harm trans people by grounding our discussion in our personal experiences.




Questions about the HSR website? Email the Web Team

Any health information on this website is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any condition.