From Othering to Understanding: Fostering Networking Among Healthcare Providers and Patients Undergoing Sex Reassignment Surgery (Top Interactive Session Paper).

The transformative and highly personal nature of sex reassignment surgery (SRS) makes it a unique health care procedure, the context of which could provide rich data for both transsexual research and health communication research. Health care providers need practical information that explores how to provide respectful, supportive care for transsexual patients. This paper proposes ways to frame research from the SRS provider and staff perspective to explore how they address the combination of physical treatment, palliative care, emotional support, and empathy for this special patient population. First, I provide an overview of the historical background of sex reassignment surgery and define key terms as used in this proposal. Then I review the major literature in two areas: transsexual and transgender research and health communication. Following this review, I will address proposed fields of inquiry that may bridge the gap between these two disciplines, as well as proposing specific research questions. ..PAT.-Conference Proceeding [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]