Abstract
Introduction: Trans people belong to a marginalized and vulnerable group in society and suffer from difficulties in receiving care in the health system. This study aimed to understand the health-disease-care process of trans people and their access to health services in Curitiba, PR, Brazil. Methodology: Qualitative hermeneutic research, through semi-structured interviews with ten trans persons from Curitiba. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, coded and submitted to hermeneutic analysis. Analysis enabled to understand participants’ experiences and perceptions about their health and trajectories of care in the health system. Results: The narratives showed that there is still a lot of unpreparedness of health professionals and this produces discomfortable care for the trans persons. These experiences shape the behavior of the trans population towards health services, often avoiding them. All this difficulty in accessing health care generates mental health issues and feelings of suicidal ideation. Conclusion: The study highlighted the lack of recognition and acceptance of the way trans people express themselves and the existence of several discriminatory actions practiced by health workers. Understanding these challenges points to what need to be improved, such as increasing access and the healthcare quality for this population.
Keywords:
Transgender Persons; Qualitative research; Health Services Accessibility