Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) patients experience barriers to health care that include fear of discrimination, as well as insensitivity and lack of knowledge about LGBT-specific health needs among providers, according to new study by a recent Illinois Wesleyan University student and her Illinois colleagues.
The study, published in the Journal of Nursing Education, examined the effectiveness of educational strategies designed to improve knowledge and attitudes of baccalaureate nursing students regarding LGBT patient care.
Education focused on key terminology, health disparities, medical needs of transgender patients, and culturally sensitive communication skills for competent LGBT patient care. Individual knowledge levels and attitudes were evaluated before and after the "intervention," using a survey based on a modified "Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men Scale" and two assessment tools developed for this study.
A statistically significant increase in positive attitudes and knowledge levels was found immediately after the intervention. Findings from the study -- co-authored by Carle Foundation Hospital Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit nurse Kristy Strong -- support the inclusion of education related to LGBT patient health care in undergraduate nursing curricula, to promote "cultural competence and sensitivity."
At the time the article was written, Strong was an IWU student. She collaborated with Victoria Folse, director and with Wesleyan's School of Nursing.
A number of U.S. hospitals have tailored programs for LGBT patients and their families, focusing on special concerns such as potential substance use, parenting issues, and domestic and homophobic violence, as well as specialized medical care programs for lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered individuals.