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A primer on gender-affirming care for transgender youth
Over the past few years, there has been rampant misinformation regarding gender-affirming care for transgender youth. In particular, there has been confusion regarding how care is administered, and what types of care are considered at various stages of development. This primer will help you understand the developmental approach to supporting transgender youth.
2020 publication in The Lancet Public Health found that access to gender-congruent government identification documents was associated with lower odds of severe psychological distress and suicidality.1
Considerations for prepubertal children
The youngest developmental stage at which a young person may seek care regarding gender diversity is the prepubertal childhood stage. Guidelines set forth by The Endocrine Society and The World Professional Association for Transgender Health make it clear that no medical or surgical interventions are considered at this developmental stage.2,3 However, some young people may choose to pursue a “social transition.” Though this may sound like one thing, social transition can mean very different things for different people. It may include any combination of adopting a new name, pronouns, hairstyle, clothing, etc. Young people may also choose to pursue these various aspects of social transition in all settings, or sometimes only in some settings (for example, only at home if they don’t yet feel comfortable doing so at school). Research so far shows that prepubertal children who are allowed to socially transition have levels of anxiety and depression nearly indistinguishable from their cisgender peers.4 While some in the past have raised the question of whether a social transition increases a child’s degree of gender incongruence and thus their likelihood to “persist” in a transgender identity, research has suggested this is not the case, and that gender identity does not meaningfully differ before and after a social transition.5 It’s worth noting, that “desistance” of a young person’s transgender identity is generally not considered an ethical goal and that gender identity conversion efforts (that is, attempts to force transgender people to be cisgender) have been labeled unethical by the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
Sadly, transgender children are victims of bullying at high rates in their schools and communities. Creating safe and affirming school and community environments can be some of the highest yield ways in which providers can support the mental health of gender-diverse youth at this stage. Gender Spectrum is an excellent nonprofit that provides resources to help families and communities with some of these nonmedical supports.
Early adolescence and pubertal suppression
The earliest gender-affirming medical intervention that may be considered is pubertal suppression. Pubertal suppression is achieved with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists. This class of medications is Food and Drug Administration approved in pediatrics for precocious puberty – a condition in which young people enter puberty much earlier than expected (sometimes as early as age 3). For that condition, the rationale is to delay puberty until the patient reaches a more developmentally normative age for puberty to begin. The rationale for pubertal suppression for adolescent gender dysphoria is somewhat similar – these medications allow for the temporary pausing of puberty, which can be particularly helpful for adolescents who are having severe negative psychological reactions to the ways in which their bodies are developing. The major advantage here is that pubertal suppression can be reversed (if the medication is stopped, endogenous puberty will proceed), whereas puberty itself cannot be easily reversed (resulting in adult transgender people needing surgery and other interventions later in life, if these changes can be fully undone at all). As with all medications, puberty blockers do carry known side effects, including falling behind on bone density (sex hormones are needed to mineralize bones). Because of this, it is generally recommended that adolescents have their bone density monitored during treatment, pursue avenues to improve bone health (for example, exercise), and either stop the puberty blocker to undergo endogenous puberty or start gender-affirming hormones (estrogen or testosterone) by around age 16.
It is also important to note that, under current guidelines, an adolescent must first undergo a comprehensive biopsychosocial mental health evaluation prior to starting pubertal suppression to ensure the clinical team has a comprehensive understanding of the adolescent’s mental health, that all potential gender supports that are needed are put into place, and that the adolescent and their guardians have a strong understanding of the medical intervention, its risks, side effects, and potential benefits. In addition, consent must be provided by parents or legal guardians, whereas adolescents themselves provide assent. Several studies have linked access to pubertal suppression, when indicated for gender dysphoria, to improved mental health outcomes (for example, van der Miesen and colleagues, Turban and colleagues, de Vries and colleagues, and Costa and colleagues).6-9
Later adolescence and gender-affirming hormones
Later in adolescence, transgender youth may be candidates for gender-affirming hormone treatment (for example, estrogen or testosterone) to induce pubertal changes that align with their gender identities. Once again, under current guidelines, a comprehensive mental health biopsychosocial evaluation must be conducted prior to initiation of these treatments. Part of this evaluation includes fertility counseling and consideration of fertility preservation (for example, oocyte or semen cryopreservation), given the potential for these medications to impact fertility. It also involves discussion of several of the physiologic changes from these medications that can be irreversible (for example, voice changes from testosterone are particularly difficult to reverse in the future). Tables of the physical changes from these medications, when they begin after starting, and when they generally reach their maximum are available in the Endocrine Society guidelines.2 The past endocrine society guidelines recommended not initiating gender-affirming hormones until age 16. The most recent guidelines note that there may be instances in which providers may consider starting them as early as age 13 (for example, to reduce risk of falling behind on bone density, or if a patient is having psychological distress related to their peers going through puberty while they are still in a prepubertal state). The latest World Professional Association for Transgender Health Standards of Care removed specific age cutoffs, highlighting the importance of a multidisciplinary team of mental health and hormone prescribing providers working together to understand the best course of action for a particular patient. As with pubertal suppression, several studies have linked access to gender-affirming hormones to improve mental health for adolescents with gender dysphoria (for example, Turban and colleagues, Chen and colleagues, de Vries and colleagues, Allen and colleagues, and Tordoff and colleagues).10-14
Gender-affirming surgeries
The vast majority of gender-affirming surgeries are not considered until adulthood. The most notable exception to this is masculinizing top surgery for trans masculine and nonbinary adolescents. As with all surgeries, this is a major decision, and requires agreement from a mental health provider, a medical provider, and the surgeon. Early research suggests such surgeries result in improved chest dysphoria and that regret rates appear to be low.15,16 While the latest World Professional Association for Transgender Health similarly removed strict age cutoffs for gender-affirming surgery, again noting the importance of individualized care, I suspect most will read this change in the context of the Endocrine Society guidelines and past WPATH guidelines that noted gender-affirming genital surgeries are not offered until adulthood (a rare exception perhaps being someone pursuing a gender-affirming vaginoplasty at say age 17 in the summer prior to college to avoid needing to take off from school for surgical recovery). Gender-affirming genital surgeries are generally much more involved surgeries with prolonged recovery times.
Given the substantial proportion of young people who openly identify as transgender,17 and the proliferation of misinformation, political rhetoric, and legislation that can impact gender-affirming care for adolescents with gender dysphoria,18 it is essential that providers have accurate, up-to-date information on what this care entails and how it is provided.
Dr. Turban is director of the gender psychiatry program at the University of California, San Francisco, where he is an assistant professor of child & adolescent psychiatry and affiliate faculty at the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies. He is on Twitter @jack_turban.
References
1. Malta M et al. Lancet Public Health. 2020 Apr;5(4):e178-9.
2. Hembree WC et al. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2017 Nov 1;102(11):3869-903.
3. Coleman E et al. Int J Transgend Health. 2022 Sep 6;23(Suppl 1):S1-259.
4. Durwood L et al. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2017 Feb;56(2):116-23.e2.
5. Rae JR et al. Psychol Sci. 2019 May;30(5):669-81.
6. van der Miesen AIR et al. J Adolesc Health. 2020 Jun;66(6):699-704.
7. Turban JL et al. Pediatrics. 2020 Feb;145(2):e20191725.
8. de Vries ALC et al. J Sex Med. 2011 Aug;8(8):2276-83.
9. Costa R et al. J Sex Med. 2015 Nov;12(11):2206-14.
10. Turban JL et al. PLoS One. 2022 Jan 12;17(1):e0261039.
11. Chen D et al. N Engl J Med. 2023;388:240-50.
12. de Vries ALC et al. Pediatrics. 2014 Oct;134(4):696-70.
13. Allen LR et al. Clin Pract Pediatr Psychol. 2019. doi: 10.1037/cpp0000288.
14. Tordoff DM et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2022 Feb 1;5(2):e220978.
15. Olson-Kennedy J et al. JAMA Pediatr. 2018;172(5):431-6.
16. Tang A et al. Ann Plast Surg. 2022 May;88(4 Suppl):S325-31
17. Johns MM et al. Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2019 Jan 25;68(3):67-71.
18. Turban JL et al. JAMA. 2021;325(22):2251-2.
Over the past few years, there has been rampant misinformation regarding gender-affirming care for transgender youth. In particular, there has been confusion regarding how care is administered, and what types of care are considered at various stages of development. This primer will help you understand the developmental approach to supporting transgender youth.
2020 publication in The Lancet Public Health found that access to gender-congruent government identification documents was associated with lower odds of severe psychological distress and suicidality.1
Considerations for prepubertal children
The youngest developmental stage at which a young person may seek care regarding gender diversity is the prepubertal childhood stage. Guidelines set forth by The Endocrine Society and The World Professional Association for Transgender Health make it clear that no medical or surgical interventions are considered at this developmental stage.2,3 However, some young people may choose to pursue a “social transition.” Though this may sound like one thing, social transition can mean very different things for different people. It may include any combination of adopting a new name, pronouns, hairstyle, clothing, etc. Young people may also choose to pursue these various aspects of social transition in all settings, or sometimes only in some settings (for example, only at home if they don’t yet feel comfortable doing so at school). Research so far shows that prepubertal children who are allowed to socially transition have levels of anxiety and depression nearly indistinguishable from their cisgender peers.4 While some in the past have raised the question of whether a social transition increases a child’s degree of gender incongruence and thus their likelihood to “persist” in a transgender identity, research has suggested this is not the case, and that gender identity does not meaningfully differ before and after a social transition.5 It’s worth noting, that “desistance” of a young person’s transgender identity is generally not considered an ethical goal and that gender identity conversion efforts (that is, attempts to force transgender people to be cisgender) have been labeled unethical by the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
Sadly, transgender children are victims of bullying at high rates in their schools and communities. Creating safe and affirming school and community environments can be some of the highest yield ways in which providers can support the mental health of gender-diverse youth at this stage. Gender Spectrum is an excellent nonprofit that provides resources to help families and communities with some of these nonmedical supports.
Early adolescence and pubertal suppression
The earliest gender-affirming medical intervention that may be considered is pubertal suppression. Pubertal suppression is achieved with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists. This class of medications is Food and Drug Administration approved in pediatrics for precocious puberty – a condition in which young people enter puberty much earlier than expected (sometimes as early as age 3). For that condition, the rationale is to delay puberty until the patient reaches a more developmentally normative age for puberty to begin. The rationale for pubertal suppression for adolescent gender dysphoria is somewhat similar – these medications allow for the temporary pausing of puberty, which can be particularly helpful for adolescents who are having severe negative psychological reactions to the ways in which their bodies are developing. The major advantage here is that pubertal suppression can be reversed (if the medication is stopped, endogenous puberty will proceed), whereas puberty itself cannot be easily reversed (resulting in adult transgender people needing surgery and other interventions later in life, if these changes can be fully undone at all). As with all medications, puberty blockers do carry known side effects, including falling behind on bone density (sex hormones are needed to mineralize bones). Because of this, it is generally recommended that adolescents have their bone density monitored during treatment, pursue avenues to improve bone health (for example, exercise), and either stop the puberty blocker to undergo endogenous puberty or start gender-affirming hormones (estrogen or testosterone) by around age 16.
It is also important to note that, under current guidelines, an adolescent must first undergo a comprehensive biopsychosocial mental health evaluation prior to starting pubertal suppression to ensure the clinical team has a comprehensive understanding of the adolescent’s mental health, that all potential gender supports that are needed are put into place, and that the adolescent and their guardians have a strong understanding of the medical intervention, its risks, side effects, and potential benefits. In addition, consent must be provided by parents or legal guardians, whereas adolescents themselves provide assent. Several studies have linked access to pubertal suppression, when indicated for gender dysphoria, to improved mental health outcomes (for example, van der Miesen and colleagues, Turban and colleagues, de Vries and colleagues, and Costa and colleagues).6-9
Later adolescence and gender-affirming hormones
Later in adolescence, transgender youth may be candidates for gender-affirming hormone treatment (for example, estrogen or testosterone) to induce pubertal changes that align with their gender identities. Once again, under current guidelines, a comprehensive mental health biopsychosocial evaluation must be conducted prior to initiation of these treatments. Part of this evaluation includes fertility counseling and consideration of fertility preservation (for example, oocyte or semen cryopreservation), given the potential for these medications to impact fertility. It also involves discussion of several of the physiologic changes from these medications that can be irreversible (for example, voice changes from testosterone are particularly difficult to reverse in the future). Tables of the physical changes from these medications, when they begin after starting, and when they generally reach their maximum are available in the Endocrine Society guidelines.2 The past endocrine society guidelines recommended not initiating gender-affirming hormones until age 16. The most recent guidelines note that there may be instances in which providers may consider starting them as early as age 13 (for example, to reduce risk of falling behind on bone density, or if a patient is having psychological distress related to their peers going through puberty while they are still in a prepubertal state). The latest World Professional Association for Transgender Health Standards of Care removed specific age cutoffs, highlighting the importance of a multidisciplinary team of mental health and hormone prescribing providers working together to understand the best course of action for a particular patient. As with pubertal suppression, several studies have linked access to gender-affirming hormones to improve mental health for adolescents with gender dysphoria (for example, Turban and colleagues, Chen and colleagues, de Vries and colleagues, Allen and colleagues, and Tordoff and colleagues).10-14
Gender-affirming surgeries
The vast majority of gender-affirming surgeries are not considered until adulthood. The most notable exception to this is masculinizing top surgery for trans masculine and nonbinary adolescents. As with all surgeries, this is a major decision, and requires agreement from a mental health provider, a medical provider, and the surgeon. Early research suggests such surgeries result in improved chest dysphoria and that regret rates appear to be low.15,16 While the latest World Professional Association for Transgender Health similarly removed strict age cutoffs for gender-affirming surgery, again noting the importance of individualized care, I suspect most will read this change in the context of the Endocrine Society guidelines and past WPATH guidelines that noted gender-affirming genital surgeries are not offered until adulthood (a rare exception perhaps being someone pursuing a gender-affirming vaginoplasty at say age 17 in the summer prior to college to avoid needing to take off from school for surgical recovery). Gender-affirming genital surgeries are generally much more involved surgeries with prolonged recovery times.
Given the substantial proportion of young people who openly identify as transgender,17 and the proliferation of misinformation, political rhetoric, and legislation that can impact gender-affirming care for adolescents with gender dysphoria,18 it is essential that providers have accurate, up-to-date information on what this care entails and how it is provided.
Dr. Turban is director of the gender psychiatry program at the University of California, San Francisco, where he is an assistant professor of child & adolescent psychiatry and affiliate faculty at the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies. He is on Twitter @jack_turban.
References
1. Malta M et al. Lancet Public Health. 2020 Apr;5(4):e178-9.
2. Hembree WC et al. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2017 Nov 1;102(11):3869-903.
3. Coleman E et al. Int J Transgend Health. 2022 Sep 6;23(Suppl 1):S1-259.
4. Durwood L et al. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2017 Feb;56(2):116-23.e2.
5. Rae JR et al. Psychol Sci. 2019 May;30(5):669-81.
6. van der Miesen AIR et al. J Adolesc Health. 2020 Jun;66(6):699-704.
7. Turban JL et al. Pediatrics. 2020 Feb;145(2):e20191725.
8. de Vries ALC et al. J Sex Med. 2011 Aug;8(8):2276-83.
9. Costa R et al. J Sex Med. 2015 Nov;12(11):2206-14.
10. Turban JL et al. PLoS One. 2022 Jan 12;17(1):e0261039.
11. Chen D et al. N Engl J Med. 2023;388:240-50.
12. de Vries ALC et al. Pediatrics. 2014 Oct;134(4):696-70.
13. Allen LR et al. Clin Pract Pediatr Psychol. 2019. doi: 10.1037/cpp0000288.
14. Tordoff DM et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2022 Feb 1;5(2):e220978.
15. Olson-Kennedy J et al. JAMA Pediatr. 2018;172(5):431-6.
16. Tang A et al. Ann Plast Surg. 2022 May;88(4 Suppl):S325-31
17. Johns MM et al. Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2019 Jan 25;68(3):67-71.
18. Turban JL et al. JAMA. 2021;325(22):2251-2.
Over the past few years, there has been rampant misinformation regarding gender-affirming care for transgender youth. In particular, there has been confusion regarding how care is administered, and what types of care are considered at various stages of development. This primer will help you understand the developmental approach to supporting transgender youth.
2020 publication in The Lancet Public Health found that access to gender-congruent government identification documents was associated with lower odds of severe psychological distress and suicidality.1
Considerations for prepubertal children
The youngest developmental stage at which a young person may seek care regarding gender diversity is the prepubertal childhood stage. Guidelines set forth by The Endocrine Society and The World Professional Association for Transgender Health make it clear that no medical or surgical interventions are considered at this developmental stage.2,3 However, some young people may choose to pursue a “social transition.” Though this may sound like one thing, social transition can mean very different things for different people. It may include any combination of adopting a new name, pronouns, hairstyle, clothing, etc. Young people may also choose to pursue these various aspects of social transition in all settings, or sometimes only in some settings (for example, only at home if they don’t yet feel comfortable doing so at school). Research so far shows that prepubertal children who are allowed to socially transition have levels of anxiety and depression nearly indistinguishable from their cisgender peers.4 While some in the past have raised the question of whether a social transition increases a child’s degree of gender incongruence and thus their likelihood to “persist” in a transgender identity, research has suggested this is not the case, and that gender identity does not meaningfully differ before and after a social transition.5 It’s worth noting, that “desistance” of a young person’s transgender identity is generally not considered an ethical goal and that gender identity conversion efforts (that is, attempts to force transgender people to be cisgender) have been labeled unethical by the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
Sadly, transgender children are victims of bullying at high rates in their schools and communities. Creating safe and affirming school and community environments can be some of the highest yield ways in which providers can support the mental health of gender-diverse youth at this stage. Gender Spectrum is an excellent nonprofit that provides resources to help families and communities with some of these nonmedical supports.
Early adolescence and pubertal suppression
The earliest gender-affirming medical intervention that may be considered is pubertal suppression. Pubertal suppression is achieved with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists. This class of medications is Food and Drug Administration approved in pediatrics for precocious puberty – a condition in which young people enter puberty much earlier than expected (sometimes as early as age 3). For that condition, the rationale is to delay puberty until the patient reaches a more developmentally normative age for puberty to begin. The rationale for pubertal suppression for adolescent gender dysphoria is somewhat similar – these medications allow for the temporary pausing of puberty, which can be particularly helpful for adolescents who are having severe negative psychological reactions to the ways in which their bodies are developing. The major advantage here is that pubertal suppression can be reversed (if the medication is stopped, endogenous puberty will proceed), whereas puberty itself cannot be easily reversed (resulting in adult transgender people needing surgery and other interventions later in life, if these changes can be fully undone at all). As with all medications, puberty blockers do carry known side effects, including falling behind on bone density (sex hormones are needed to mineralize bones). Because of this, it is generally recommended that adolescents have their bone density monitored during treatment, pursue avenues to improve bone health (for example, exercise), and either stop the puberty blocker to undergo endogenous puberty or start gender-affirming hormones (estrogen or testosterone) by around age 16.
It is also important to note that, under current guidelines, an adolescent must first undergo a comprehensive biopsychosocial mental health evaluation prior to starting pubertal suppression to ensure the clinical team has a comprehensive understanding of the adolescent’s mental health, that all potential gender supports that are needed are put into place, and that the adolescent and their guardians have a strong understanding of the medical intervention, its risks, side effects, and potential benefits. In addition, consent must be provided by parents or legal guardians, whereas adolescents themselves provide assent. Several studies have linked access to pubertal suppression, when indicated for gender dysphoria, to improved mental health outcomes (for example, van der Miesen and colleagues, Turban and colleagues, de Vries and colleagues, and Costa and colleagues).6-9
Later adolescence and gender-affirming hormones
Later in adolescence, transgender youth may be candidates for gender-affirming hormone treatment (for example, estrogen or testosterone) to induce pubertal changes that align with their gender identities. Once again, under current guidelines, a comprehensive mental health biopsychosocial evaluation must be conducted prior to initiation of these treatments. Part of this evaluation includes fertility counseling and consideration of fertility preservation (for example, oocyte or semen cryopreservation), given the potential for these medications to impact fertility. It also involves discussion of several of the physiologic changes from these medications that can be irreversible (for example, voice changes from testosterone are particularly difficult to reverse in the future). Tables of the physical changes from these medications, when they begin after starting, and when they generally reach their maximum are available in the Endocrine Society guidelines.2 The past endocrine society guidelines recommended not initiating gender-affirming hormones until age 16. The most recent guidelines note that there may be instances in which providers may consider starting them as early as age 13 (for example, to reduce risk of falling behind on bone density, or if a patient is having psychological distress related to their peers going through puberty while they are still in a prepubertal state). The latest World Professional Association for Transgender Health Standards of Care removed specific age cutoffs, highlighting the importance of a multidisciplinary team of mental health and hormone prescribing providers working together to understand the best course of action for a particular patient. As with pubertal suppression, several studies have linked access to gender-affirming hormones to improve mental health for adolescents with gender dysphoria (for example, Turban and colleagues, Chen and colleagues, de Vries and colleagues, Allen and colleagues, and Tordoff and colleagues).10-14
Gender-affirming surgeries
The vast majority of gender-affirming surgeries are not considered until adulthood. The most notable exception to this is masculinizing top surgery for trans masculine and nonbinary adolescents. As with all surgeries, this is a major decision, and requires agreement from a mental health provider, a medical provider, and the surgeon. Early research suggests such surgeries result in improved chest dysphoria and that regret rates appear to be low.15,16 While the latest World Professional Association for Transgender Health similarly removed strict age cutoffs for gender-affirming surgery, again noting the importance of individualized care, I suspect most will read this change in the context of the Endocrine Society guidelines and past WPATH guidelines that noted gender-affirming genital surgeries are not offered until adulthood (a rare exception perhaps being someone pursuing a gender-affirming vaginoplasty at say age 17 in the summer prior to college to avoid needing to take off from school for surgical recovery). Gender-affirming genital surgeries are generally much more involved surgeries with prolonged recovery times.
Given the substantial proportion of young people who openly identify as transgender,17 and the proliferation of misinformation, political rhetoric, and legislation that can impact gender-affirming care for adolescents with gender dysphoria,18 it is essential that providers have accurate, up-to-date information on what this care entails and how it is provided.
Dr. Turban is director of the gender psychiatry program at the University of California, San Francisco, where he is an assistant professor of child & adolescent psychiatry and affiliate faculty at the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies. He is on Twitter @jack_turban.
References
1. Malta M et al. Lancet Public Health. 2020 Apr;5(4):e178-9.
2. Hembree WC et al. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2017 Nov 1;102(11):3869-903.
3. Coleman E et al. Int J Transgend Health. 2022 Sep 6;23(Suppl 1):S1-259.
4. Durwood L et al. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2017 Feb;56(2):116-23.e2.
5. Rae JR et al. Psychol Sci. 2019 May;30(5):669-81.
6. van der Miesen AIR et al. J Adolesc Health. 2020 Jun;66(6):699-704.
7. Turban JL et al. Pediatrics. 2020 Feb;145(2):e20191725.
8. de Vries ALC et al. J Sex Med. 2011 Aug;8(8):2276-83.
9. Costa R et al. J Sex Med. 2015 Nov;12(11):2206-14.
10. Turban JL et al. PLoS One. 2022 Jan 12;17(1):e0261039.
11. Chen D et al. N Engl J Med. 2023;388:240-50.
12. de Vries ALC et al. Pediatrics. 2014 Oct;134(4):696-70.
13. Allen LR et al. Clin Pract Pediatr Psychol. 2019. doi: 10.1037/cpp0000288.
14. Tordoff DM et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2022 Feb 1;5(2):e220978.
15. Olson-Kennedy J et al. JAMA Pediatr. 2018;172(5):431-6.
16. Tang A et al. Ann Plast Surg. 2022 May;88(4 Suppl):S325-31
17. Johns MM et al. Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2019 Jan 25;68(3):67-71.
18. Turban JL et al. JAMA. 2021;325(22):2251-2.