MaPGAS Decision Making

Launched by DARTMOUTH-HITCHCOCK MEDICAL CENTER · Aug 20, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This study is testing a new online decision aid to help people who are transgender or non-binary and assigned female at birth decide about Metoidioplasty or Phalloplasty (MaPGAS), which are gender-affirming surgeries. It’s a randomized trial, meaning participants are assigned by chance to either use the decision aid in addition to usual care or to receive usual care only. The goal is to see if the tool makes the decision process easier, reduces uncertainty about choices, and helps people feel more prepared to talk with their doctor. The tool is web-based, includes information on options, risks and benefits, and patient stories, and it’s available for about four weeks before the surgical consultation. Researchers will measure how the tool changes people’s sense of certainty and readiness, and also how usable the tool is and whether it supports shared decision-making with clinicians.

Who can join: adults 18 and older, assigned female at birth, who identify as transgender male and/or gender non-binary, living in the United States, and able to read and understand English at roughly a sixth-grade level. They must have a consultation scheduled for metoidioplasty or phalloplasty (or be post-operative), and not have participated in prior tool refinement focus groups. The study is led by Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center with a collaboration at the University of Utah. About 140 participants are planned, and enrollment is currently ongoing with results expected around 2027. Participants will complete surveys before and after using the tool, and will also provide feedback on usability and how helpful the decision aid was in preparing for discussions with their healthcare team.

Gender

FEMALE

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Assigned female on the original birth certificate.
• • Self-identifies as transgender male and/or gender non-binary.
• • Able to speak, read, and understand English at a sixth-grade level.
• • Aged 18 or older.
• • Resides in the USA.
• • For decision aid refinement: Considering metoidioplasty or phalloplasty, or is post-operative.
• • For intervention and control arm: Has a consultation scheduled for metoidioplasty or phalloplasty.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Participants involved in the initial tool refinement focus groups cannot participate in the intervention or control group to avoid contamination of the study outcomes.