Ensuring culturally competent nursing care for LGBT+ people
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

Ensuring culturally competent nursing care for LGBT+ people

Alfonso Pezzella Director of programmes/senior lecturer in mental health, Department of Mental Health and Social Work, Middlesex University, London, England

Why you should read this article:
  • To understand the historical context of the issues faced by people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other sexual and gender minorities (LGBT+)

  • To recognise some of the challenges that LGBT+ people may experience in accessing healthcare

  • To consider what actions nurses can take to ensure the care they provide is culturally competent

People who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other sexual and gender minorities (LGBT+) can encounter various challenges when seeking healthcare. For example, many LGBT+ individuals experience discrimination and social stigma from healthcare professionals, leading to feelings of mistrust. This might manifest as explicit homophobia or transphobia, inappropriate questioning, or a lack of consideration for the sensitivities around LGBT+ identities. Similarly, healthcare organisations may have policies that lack inclusivity, with administrative forms and procedures that do not consider diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. Nurses are increasingly recognising the importance of providing inclusive care for individuals who identify as LGBT+, which involves being attentive to their specific needs. This article examines the barriers that may be encountered by LGBT+ individuals in healthcare services and offers recommendations for how nurses can deliver culturally sensitive healthcare to the LGBT+ community.

Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2025.e12339

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Correspondence

A.Pezzella@mdx.ac.uk

Conflict of interest

None declared

Pezzella A (2025) Ensuring culturally competent nursing care for LGBT+ people. Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2025.e12339

Published online: 23 January 2025

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