Graduation Year

2013

Publication Date

2013

Abstract

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) patients experience barriers to health care that include fear of discrimination and limited access to providers knowledgeable about and sensitive to the LGBT population and their specific health needs. This study examined the effectiveness of an educational intervention conducted at Illinois Wesleyan University designed to improve knowledge level and attitudes of nursing students toward LGBT patient care. The educational intervention focused on key terminology, health disparities, medical needs of transgender patients and culturally sensitive communication skills necessary for competent LGBT patient care. Knowledge level and attitudes were evaluated before and after the educational intervention using a survey based on a modified Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men Scale, and two assessment tools developed for this study. The results of this study showed both an improvement in attitudes and an increase in knowledge level directly after the educational intervention. Implications of this study support the inclusion of content related to LGBT patient healthcare into undergraduate nursing curricula to enhance knowledge as well as to promote cultural competence and sensitivity.

Disciplines

Nursing

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Included in

Nursing Commons

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