Introduction
A researcher must first identify the problem and clarify the object, characteristic, or element to be measured in a study. (Gray et al., n.d., p. 363) Once the object has been identified, then strategies and methods to measure will be implemented. Measurement is the process of assigning numbers to objects, events, or situations in accordance with rules. (Gray et al., n.d.) Researchers apply instrumentation which is specific rules to develop a method to measure. Measurement theory has been developed to direct the measurement of abstract and concrete concepts. Abstract concepts use indirect measurement due to the fact that the concepts are not measured directly. In abstract concepts, indicators and attributes are used to represent the abstractions. In nursing, the common abstract concepts are anxiety, coping, stress, quality of life, and pain (Gray et al., n.d.). Both abstract and concrete variables will be applied in the current research.
Discussion
The PICOT Question: Do the health disparities (I) in the transgender community (P) adversely impact access to care (O) compared to the cisgender community (C) during their lifetimes (T)? The purpose of the research study is to improve health disparities in the transgender community by eliminating financial barriers, discrimination, lack of cultural competence of providers, and socioeconomic and health system barriers that will increase access to care. The significance of the research is highlighted in the factual information that transgender individuals are more likely to experience traumatic events (Lefevor et al., 2019). In order for the result to be achieved, it is essential to determine how health disparities ultimately lead to low access to care.
Methodology and Data Analysis
The proposed design is conducting a systematic review of current research on disparities in medical access and outcomes for representatives of the transgender community. The demographic variables will be examined through descriptive statistical tests to determine relevant patterns and limitations in terms of vulnerable populations. Data analysis for study variables will be conducted and illustrated through descriptive statistical tests to identify additional measures that can impact access to healthcare and adverse health outcomes within. The Gender Congruence and Life Satisfaction Scale was developed by reviewing the literature, conducting interviews with transgender people, and holding discussions with experts working in transgender healthcare (Jones et al., 2018). In the research, the identified population will be interviewed, discussions with healthcare providers, and interviews of the cisgender community. For this study, the instruments that will be used will be questionnaires, discussions, the Gender Congruence and Life Satisfaction Scale, and research. The Gender Congruence and Life Satisfaction Scale will be conducted on 30-45 individuals who will be divided evenly among transgender and cisgender individuals. The individuals will be selected by random sampling of each population. The measures will be socio-demographic variables such as age, gender at birth, and identified gender.
The GCLS s will ask questions about how many times they have sought medical care in the past six months or year, whether are they in a medical or mental health crisis, what are some barriers to care, etc. Also included in the GCLS questions on how they feel about healthcare and what they think about medical care received to rate according to the Likert Scale. All measurement techniques contain some random error. The error might be due to the measurement methods used, the participants studied, or the researchers gathering data. (Gray et al., n.d.) The validity of the study will be conducted from repeat testing and scored on the content validity index. The reliability varies on the participants, barriers, and instruments in the study. The population study will require discrimination to be eliminated to ensure measures are reliable and valid to improve access to care.
Conclusion
The interventions will be implemented after the GCLS scale, data, discussions, and questionaries have been completed. Interventions will consist of actions to take to eliminate the barriers of discrimination, lack of cultural competence by providers, financial barriers, and socioeconomic and health system barriers. The variables will be reassessed, and the GCLS scale will be completed after 30 days of implementing the interventions to eliminate barriers for the transgender population. Then after completing the reassessment, the hypothesis of the research will be retested, and data will be collected to answer the problem statement/PICOT question. The proposed methodology will generate reliable data and a clear overview of health disparities and their effect on access to healthcare. Moreover, as both objective and subjective data will be gathered, the findings will portray an in-depth overview of perceived and physical limitations affecting the transgender community in regard to healthcare services.
References
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Lefevor, G. T., Boyd-Rogers, C. C., Sprague, B. M., & Janis, R. A. (2019). Health disparities between genderqueer, transgender, and cisgender individuals: An extension of minority stress theory.Journal of Counseling Psychology, 66(4), 385–395. Web.