Pharmacists should refer to ‘breasts’ as ‘chest’ and ‘periods’ as ‘cycles’ to be more inclusive to transgender people, according to a leading medical body.
Pharmacies should also install at least one gender-neutral restroom in each store and consider calling out patients using a numbered system rather than using gender-specific titles like Mr, Ms or Mrs.
The recommendations were published in a guide by the American Pharmacists Association — which represents 62,000 pharmacists nationwide.
The APhA researchers said the shift is ‘intended to bring awareness to pharmacy staff and personnel’ and create ‘safe spaces’ for patients of all genders and sexual orientations.
American Pharmacists Association has published updated guidelines on how to make pharmacies more accessible for transgender people
The above, taken from the guidelines, shows ‘breast’ should now be called ‘chest’ and ‘period’ should be termed ‘cycle’
But critics have previously raised concerns about the introduction of gender-neutral language in healthcare, saying it makes health communication more confusing.
The new recommendations were published as a pre-print in the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association ahead of their expected inclusion in next month’s edition.
About 1.6million Americans identify as transgender, with people in younger generations more likely to fall into this category.
Studies suggest people in this group are 60 percent less likely to be depressed and have a 73 percent lower risk of suicide.
But despite their elevated risk, many avoid pharmacies for fear of mistreatment, embarrassment or discrimination, the researchers said.
The guide also says pharmacists should use their own pronouns and ensure they use the correct pronouns for patients.
Pharmacists should also wear pronoun pins, they said, to make the environment more welcoming.
‘This guide is intended to bring awareness to pharmacy staff and personnel about the importance of gender-affirming care,’ the document reads.
‘Our hope is that this serves as a resource to allow pharmacy staff to feel more confident in building affirming and safe spaces for all patients.’
Pharmacist Monica Douglas, a pharmacist at Touro College of Pharmacy in New York, is listed as the main author of the commentary.
The above guidelines also encourage staff to wear pins that show their pronouns and to utilize them in clinics
They are also been told to install a gender-neutral restroom where possible
The APhA published a guide on caring for transgender patients in 2021 alongside the Human Rights Campaign.
These told pharmacists to ensure they were using the correct pronouns with patients and gave them advice on how to manage ‘misgendering’ someone.
It reads that where the wrong gender is used, pharmacists should say: ‘His prescription is — I’m sorry — their prescription is ready.’
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