Previous research has identified that transgender individuals have difficulty accessing qualified and educated healthcare from health professionals. Therefore, this dissertation research study aimed to explore the transgender healthcare experience through a phenomenological lens. Additionally, the purpose of the study was to provide a transgender narrative on healthcare interactions to increase visibility and awareness of transgender-identified issues in accessing care. Specifically, aims of this study were to: (a) examine how transgender individuals perceive and experience interactions with trained healthcare professionals, such as nurses, physicians, and mental health professionals and (b) identify common issues related to transgender individuals’ barriers to care and how these barriers affect a transgender individual’s ability to access healthcare. Through the use of phenomenological methodology, nine semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather data regarding transgender participants’ experiences with healthcare interactions. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data, and three major themes were identified among the participants’ experiences. These themes were (a) challenges with accessing healthcare, (b) inconsistent healthcare information, and (c) healthcare provider interactions. The findings of this study not only provided an opportunity for the transgender participants to share their experiences, but these findings also have the potential to educate healthcare providers in order to improve their future interactions with transgender patients.
","abstract_html":"<p>Previous research has identified that transgender individuals have difficulty accessing qualified and educated healthcare from health professionals. Therefore, this dissertation research study aimed to explore the transgender healthcare experience through a phenomenological lens. Additionally, the purpose of the study was to provide a transgender narrative on healthcare interactions to increase visibility and awareness of transgender-identified issues in accessing care. Specifically, aims of this study were to: (a) examine how transgender individuals perceive and experience interactions with trained healthcare professionals, such as nurses, physicians, and mental health professionals and (b) identify common issues related to transgender individuals’ barriers to care and how these barriers affect a transgender individual’s ability to access healthcare. Through the use of phenomenological methodology, nine semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather data regarding transgender participants’ experiences with healthcare interactions. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data, and three major themes were identified among the participants’ experiences. These themes were (a) <em>challenges with accessing healthcare,</em> (b) <em>inconsistent healthcare information</em>, and (c) <em>healthcare provider interactions</em>. The findings of this study not only provided an opportunity for the transgender participants to share their experiences, but these findings also have the potential to educate healthcare providers in order to improve their future interactions with transgender patients.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Roach, Amy"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Nursing Science (DNS)","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Nursing","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Barbara Blake","Ugena Whitlock"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2021,"date_issued":"2021-07-26T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2021-07-26T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:43:51Z","subjects":["transgender","transgender healthcare interactions","phenomenology","queer theory","nursing","transgender barriers to care"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/dns_etd/11","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Barbara Blake","Ugena Whitlock"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Roach, Amy"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2021-07-26T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Nursing"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Nursing Science (DNS)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["transgender","transgender healthcare interactions","phenomenology","queer theory","nursing","transgender barriers to care"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/dns_etd/11"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Previous research has identified that transgender individuals have difficulty accessing qualified and educated healthcare from health professionals. Therefore, this dissertation research study aimed to explore the transgender healthcare experience through a phenomenological lens. Additionally, the purpose of the study was to provide a transgender narrative on healthcare interactions to increase visibility and awareness of transgender-identified issues in accessing care. Specifically, aims of this study were to: (a) examine how transgender individuals perceive and experience interactions with trained healthcare professionals, such as nurses, physicians, and mental health professionals and (b) identify common issues related to transgender individuals’ barriers to care and how these barriers affect a transgender individual’s ability to access healthcare. Through the use of phenomenological methodology, nine semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather data regarding transgender participants’ experiences with healthcare interactions. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data, and three major themes were identified among the participants’ experiences. These themes were (a) challenges with accessing healthcare, (b) inconsistent healthcare information, and (c) healthcare provider interactions. The findings of this study not only provided an opportunity for the transgender participants to share their experiences, but these findings also have the potential to educate healthcare providers in order to improve their future interactions with transgender patients.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Transgender Individual's Experience with Healthcare Interactions"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Barbara Blake","Ugena Whitlock"],"dc:creator":["Roach, Amy"],"dc:date.available":["2021-07-26T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Previous research has identified that transgender individuals have difficulty accessing qualified and educated healthcare from health professionals. Therefore, this dissertation research study aimed to explore the transgender healthcare experience through a phenomenological lens. Additionally, the purpose of the study was to provide a transgender narrative on healthcare interactions to increase visibility and awareness of transgender-identified issues in accessing care. Specifically, aims of this study were to: (a) examine how transgender individuals perceive and experience interactions with trained healthcare professionals, such as nurses, physicians, and mental health professionals and (b) identify common issues related to transgender individuals’ barriers to care and how these barriers affect a transgender individual’s ability to access healthcare. Through the use of phenomenological methodology, nine semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather data regarding transgender participants’ experiences with healthcare interactions. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data, and three major themes were identified among the participants’ experiences. These themes were (a) challenges with accessing healthcare, (b) inconsistent healthcare information, and (c) healthcare provider interactions. The findings of this study not only provided an opportunity for the transgender participants to share their experiences, but these findings also have the potential to educate healthcare providers in order to improve their future interactions with transgender patients.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/dns_etd/11"],"dc:subject":["transgender","transgender healthcare interactions","phenomenology","queer theory","nursing","transgender barriers to care"],"dc:title":["The Transgender Individual's Experience with Healthcare Interactions"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Nursing"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Nursing Science (DNS)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:43:51Z"}