Review of the Transgender Literature: Where Do We Go from Here?

Purpose: The “transgender tipping point” has brought transgender social and health issues to the forefront of American culture. However, medical professionals have been lagging in academic research with a transgender-specific focus resulting in significant knowledge gaps in dealing with the care of our transgender patients. The aim of this article is to analyze all published Medline-available transgender-specific articles, identify these knowledge gaps, and direct future research to where it is most needed. Methods: We surveyed all Medline-available articles up to June 2016 using a combination of medical subject headings and keywords in titles and abstracts. Articles meeting inclusion criteria were reviewed, categorized, and analyzed for content and study design. Results: In our review of the literature, we identified 2405 articles published from January 1950 to June 2016 that focused on transgender health, primarily in the fields of surgery, mental health, and endocrinology. Conclusion: Significant knowledge gaps were found across the subspecialties, and there was a lack of prospective robust research and representation of transgender-specific data in the core medical journals. More data and research are needed to bridge the knowledge gaps that currently exist and improve the care of the transgender community.