Gender: man, woman. Please mark with a cross! Still common practice on many forms, for example on admission forms in doctors' surgeries, clinics or nursing wards. Banal? For intersex and transgender people, this is the first hurdle.
The "InTraHealth" project, funded by the Federal Ministry of Health, aims to remove these hurdles and thus improve healthcare for inter* and trans people. To this end, the Fachhochschule Dortmund has developed an online learning platform in cooperation with the TH Köln, the Cologne clinics and a diverse advisory board to provide medical, nursing and psychotherapy professionals with advanced skills.
The learning platform is accessible to all interested parties at www.intrahealth.de(Opens in a new tab) . The free service not only imparts expert knowledge, but also provides insights into the realities of life for inter* and trans people in Germany and reflects their experiences in the context of healthcare.
An "offer at eye level"
"In our self-learning environment, it is important for us to address people at eye level without a warning finger," emphasizes Professor Dr Gabriele Dennert, project manager and lecturer at the Faculty of Applied Social Studies at Fachhochschule Dortmund. "Because we can't force people to change their behaviour, we can only explain it and thus reach people who want to get involved." She has already received numerous inquiries about the project from the healthcare sector.
Because there is a great need for action. The project team documented this in a study of almost 600 inter* and trans people. Three quarters of those surveyed reported their own experiences of discrimination in medical and psychotherapeutic care: degrading treatment, sexual harassment and physical violence. "As a result, a significant proportion do not seek further healthcare, even though the need is there," explains Gabriele Dennert. As a result, illnesses are not detected in time or are not treated adequately.
Learning platform is open to all interested parties
The online learning platform, which has now been completed, provides basic knowledge on the topic of gender and health in several learning paths, as well as the basics of contact design and communication. These building blocks are fundamental to establishing a welcoming culture in medical facilities that makes it easier for inter* and trans people to receive professional care, emphasizes Gabriele Dennert. Short videos featuring inter* and trans people as well as healthcare professionals illustrate problems, show solutions and convey knowledge competently and authentically to women, men and anyone who does not fit into these categories.
"All content can be used non-commercially by anyone," says Professor Dr. Petra Werner. The communication scientist at TH Köln is responsible for the media didactics part of the project. "Thanks to Creative Commons licensing, it is easy to integrate the content of intrahealth.de into existing teaching formats." This offer is aimed in particular at schools, universities and medical training institutions.
The project "InTraHealth - Improving access to healthcare for intersex and transgender people by reducing discrimination as a barrier to access to care" was funded by the Federal Ministry of Health (2019-2023).
Contact: intrahealthfh-dortmundde