PROTOCOLS FOR THE INITIATION OF HORMONE THERAPY FOR TRANS AND GENDER DIVERSE PATIENTS AUGUST 2020
Equinox Gender Diverse Health Centre provides trans affirmative and person-centred
health care by emphasising partnership, education, and self-determination.
We view treatment as a collaborative effort between the patient and provider. We strive
to establish relationships with patients in which they are the primary decision makers
about their care, and we serve as their partners in promoting health. This partnership
supports the patient’s ongoing understanding of the benefits and risks of hormone
therapy. By providing thorough education around hormones and general health, we
also aim to enhance a patient’s ability to make informed decisions about all aspects of
their health. We believe in creating safe and affirming health care environments.
We seek to provide trans affirmative and person centred health care and reduce
unnecessary barriers in accessing hormone therapies. Our mission is to provide
comprehensive high quality services to our patients of diverse gender identity and
expression. We developed and reviewed our protocols by compiling the collective
knowledge of clinicians, patients, members of the TGD & NB community and by
looking at similar protocols that have been successfully implemented overseas and
adapted them for local use. They are offered as guidelines for primary care for patients
of transgender experience receiving hormone therapy.
These guidelines should be seen as a starting point from which the patient and
provider can arrive at a care plan appropriate to the patient’s needs. Services with
practice nurses or peer navigators could include them in the delivery of hormone and
health education and linkage to peer support.