155 An Assessment of Gender-Affirming Language within Patient Encounter Notes

Abstract

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Transgender, non-binary, and gender expansive (TGE) patients experience significant barriers to high-quality care including limited provider expertise and pathologization within health documentation. This study aimed to evaluate the use of gender-affirming language within free text medical notes of TGE patients. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: We conducted a qualitative analysis of free text medical notes in adult (> age 18 years) TGE patients seen in inpatient and outpatient medicine and general surgery clinics between January 2019 and January 2022 at three independent health systems in San Francisco. TGE patients were identified based on self-identified gender identity, sex assignment at birth, and legal sex. We conducted a thematic analysis to assess use of gender-affirming language, including self-identified pronouns, chosen names, gendered and gender-neutral descriptors, sex-related traits, and pathologizing language. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Within pilot data, we found inconsistent use of gender-affirming language within notes, with pronounced variability within the history of present illness, the clinical one liner, and the problem list. Within one liners, many did not include patient-identified pronouns (81%), omitted chosen names (53%), and utilized gendered language that was misaligned with patient self-identified gender identity (27%) - frequently including the use of outdated terms i.e. female-to-male and transsexual. Many problem lists included gender-related care, with some describing hormonal and surgical interventions and others utilizing language to pathologize trangender status. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Our study identifies gaps in the use of gender-affirming language in medical notes. Of particular significance in the era of open notes wherein patients can view their medical records, our study offers a framework for assessing and increasing gender-affirming language use within free text medical notes that can be applied across health systems.