Thoughts of Clinical Nurses About LGBTI Individuals: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study From Türkiye

Abstract

Background: Clinical nurses provide 24-h continuous care to the people in inpatient clinics and interact with patients more frequently than other healthcare professionals. Thus, the thoughts of clinical nurses about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) individuals are crucial. Objectives: We examined the thoughts of clinical nurses about LGBTI individuals. Methods: This study was conducted with a sample of 251 clinical nurses in 16 hospitals in Ankara between September 2018-January 2019. The simple random sampling method was used. The data were collected with a 14-question sociodemographic information form and a 21-question questionnaire regarding the opinions of clinical nurses about LGBTI individuals. The data were analyzed using frequency analysis. Results: The results demonstrated that 25.9% of the nurses considered being LGBTI as an illness, 36.7% as a congenital anomaly, 43.8% as a psychological problem and 11.2% as a moral weakness. Moreover, it was found that 59.4% of nurses asserted that LGBTI individuals could transmit infectious diseases, 47.4% said they were more likely to work in the sex industry, and 41.4% stated that they perceived them as individuals who tended to have random sexual relationships. In terms of their attitudes towards LGBTI individuals, 47.8% of the nurses evaluated their knowledge/skills/ability degrees as moderate. Conclusion: Our results revealed that considerable amount of the nurses had inaccurate information and negative thoughts about LGBTI individuals. The undergraduate nursing education curriculum should include content about LGBTI individuals, stigmatization and discrimination towards LGBTI, and the sensitive approach during provision of nursing care. After graduation, nurses should be trained and supported by consultation liaison psychiatric nurses about care and approach to LGBTI individuals.