"Never in all my years...": Nurses' Education about LGBT Health

Purpose and Aims: To examine practicing nurses’ prior education and current knowledge and attitudes about working with LGBT patients.  Background: In spite of recent calls for patient-centered care and greater attention to the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) patients, nurses still lack basic education about LGBT patient care, and as a result, may have negative attitudes, endorse stereotypes, and/or feel uncomfortable providing care.  This study reports on education/training of practicing nurses and explores some of the reasons for nurses reporting feelings of discomfort with LGBT patient care.  Method: Nursing students enrolled in a Community/Public Health Nursing Theory Course conducted structured interviews of 268 nurses in the San Francisco Bay Area based on the Health Care Equality Index (HEI).  Transcripts were analyzed for emerging key themes.  Results: Approximately 80% of the nurse key informants had no education or training on LGBT issues.  Although most said they were comfortable with LGBT patient care, some of their comments indicated that they might not be providing culturally sensitive care.  Implications: The lack of information about LGBT health topics within nursing curricula and the lack of preparation of nursing educators to teach LGBT health issues, negatively impacts nursing care. Recommendations for schools of nursing, nursing continuing education, new employee orientation, and cultural diversity training to meet the needs of LGBT patients.