Taiwanese Nurses’ Attitudes Towards and Knowledge About Sexual Minorities and Their Behavior of Providing Care to Sexual Minority Patients: Results of an Online Survey
Journal
Journal of Nursing Scholarship
Journal Volume
52
Journal Issue
6
Pages
605-612
Date Issued
2020
Author(s)
Abstract
Purpose: To assess Taiwanese nurses’ attitudes toward and knowledge about sexual minorities, and their awareness and behavior of providing care to sexual minority patients. Design: A cross-sectional descriptive design was employed. Methods: A total of 323 Taiwanese nurses 20 years of age or older completed an online questionnaire between September and November 2019. It included five sections: demographics, the Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men Scale, Knowledge About Homosexuality Questionnaire, Gay Affirmative Practice Scale, and nurses’ needs for promoting culturally competent care. Results: Taiwanese nurses held positive attitudes, and demonstrated high levels of awareness and behaviors of providing care to sexual minority patients. However, they had limited knowledge regarding homosexuality. More so, nurses who were older, self-identified as heterosexuals, were married, had more than 10 years’ work experience, and were Buddhists had poor knowledge about homosexuality. Nurses reported that for providing culturally competent care they required knowledge about sexual minorities’ physical and mental health issues; the populations’ social and welfare resources; communication skills training; privacy; and safe space. Conclusions: Information on homosexuality and health issues among sexual minority populations, communication skills training, privacy, and safe space should be provided to Taiwanese nurses to improve their abilities to provide culturally competent care and to reduce health inequalities among sexual minorities. Clinical Relevance: This study’s results could be used as evidence for designing and providing training programs for nurses regarding culturally competent care, and thus promote quality nursing care and decrease difficulties of accessing healthcare services among sexual minority patients. ? 2020 Sigma Theta Tau International
Subjects
Attitude; culturally competent care; knowledge; sexual minorities
Other Subjects
adult; article; attitude; awareness; Buddhist; communication skill; demography; female; heterosexuality; homosexual female; homosexual male; human; male; married person; mental health; nurse; privacy; quality of nursing care; questionnaire; training; transcultural care; welfare; work experience; attitude to health; cross-sectional study; nurse; nursing care; psychology; sexual and gender minority; Taiwan; Adult; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Male; Nurses; Nursing Care; Sexual and Gender Minorities; Surveys and Questionnaires; Taiwan
Type
journal article