• Kristin G Cloyes, Djin L Tay, Eli Iacob, Miranda Jones, Maija Reblin, and Lee Ellington.
• University of Utah College of Nursing, United States. Electronic address: Kristin.Cloyes@nurs.utah.edu.
• Patient Educ Couns. 2020 Oct 1; 103 (10): 2185-2191.

ObjectiveHospice interdisciplinary team (IDT) providers' attitudes toward sexual and gender minority (SGM) patients and family caregivers impacts quality of care and end-of-life outcomes. This study assessed hospice IDT provider attitudes toward SGM patients and caregivers and identified demographic predictors.MethodsHospice IDT providers (N = 122) completed an adapted 11-item scale measuring attitudes toward SGM hospice patients and caregivers. Descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis, and regression models were conducted.ResultsThe hospice-adapted Attitudes Toward LGBT Patients Scale (ATLPS) demonstrated acceptable Cronbach's alpha (0.707). Total scores ranged from 32 to 55 (M = 47.04, SD = 5.64) showing that attitudes were generally positive. Being religious (B=-3.169, p = 0.008) was associated with more negative attitudes, while higher education (B = 1.951, p = 0.002) and time employed in hospice agency (B = 0.600, p = 0.028) were associated with more positive attitudes.ConclusionThis is among the first studies to assess SGM-specific hospice IDT attitudes. Participants had relatively positive attitudes, influenced by religious beliefs, clinical experience, and education. CFA results suggest the need for better instruments to measure this complex construct.Practice ImplicationsEducation incorporating evidence of disparities, life-course perspectives, and end-of-life experiences of diverse cohorts of SGM patients and families may build on hospice IDT members' experience and training by influencing attitudes, reducing bias and improving competency.Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier B.V.

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