Table 3 Patient-Centered Approaches for Engaging Transgender and Gender Diverse (TGD) Participants (N = 28)

Recruitment

Providers connecting participants to research

1. “I think having providers mention it would be helpful… like, “Okay, well since you’re here and you’re one of my trans patients, you might be interested in taking part in this study. Here’s a flyer.” Just kind of do it like that.”

-New York

2. “What if, in terms of getting the little pop-ups in our inboxes about reminders, the providers also get little pop-ups in their inbox to remind their trans patients [of studies].”

-Boston

Going into TGD community spaces

3. “Well, a lot of us go to a lot of organizations or groups. So if you go to different organizations that are trans-focused and go to trans groups you’re going to find trans people.”

-New York

4. “But as far as getting people out I guess can also have like flyers, information at places where trans people gather. Or maybe have someone come in and describe the studies to us. And then we’ll… see the person representing…so your organization must be good”

-New York

One-on-one contact (e.g., texts, calls, conversations)

5. “text messages’cause a lot of people are, like, always on the phone, so they’ll see.”

-New York

6. “I also like this idea like sitting in person and having a conversation like face to face asking us how we feel about it.”

-New York

Social media to both link individuals to care and recruit participants

7. “Because, like, if you felt that you couldn’t get enough people at Callen, some form of social media might be able to get you the non-Callen trans people of New York.”

-New York

Multiple modalities

8. “Having multiple form of communications. Not just Facebook or digital but also paper forms. Phone calls. Text messages.”

-New York

9. “I think also like using like phone call…very important for patients who have disabilities. If you just put posters up then blind people will never know it exists. So making sure that everybody can access the information even if they’re blind or deaf or whatever the case may be.”

-New York

Retention

Providing postage

10. “You know, I take it if you mailed me a form, and at my convenience…Great, and the post is payed, put it in the box, that’s fine.”

-Boston

11. “postage, paid, returned envelope… anyone who was remotely interested in their particular subject matter would [put] it in the mail.”

-Boston

Reminders (e.g., calls, emails, letters)

12. “Like an e-mail blast once a month. Nothing too aggressive. Just maybe every other month or once a month.”

-New York

13. “Because it’ll show us you actually care…a check-in phone call in between visits.”

-New York

Emphasize importance of TGD research content

14. “Compensation is great, but also just being a part of it is really great because it’s for the advancement of our lives and a legacy that we can leave behind in a way. And so, maybe just the emphasis on that at the second interval.”

-Boston