The project PULSAR – The role of LGBTQ+ professionals in inclusive healthcare, developed at the Centre for Social Studies (CES) of the University of Coimbra, has just released the results of a national survey that outlines the experiences of LGBTQ+ people working in healthcare in Portugal.

The study, coordinated by researcher Mara Pieri and funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), involved 178 healthcare professionals, including nurses (27%), specialist physicians (23%), junior physicians (21%) and technicians from various areas (17%). Data collection was conducted between May and August 2025, using an online questionnaire.

The results show that discrimination continues to be present in the daily lives of many LGBTQ+ healthcare professionals, with a direct impact on their well-being and the quality of their working environment.

Main conclusions of the survey

• 47% of participants report experiencing discrimination at least once in a professional context. There were reports of threats, insults and homophobic or transphobic comments, as well as impediments to performing certain duties — as in the case of a gay nurse who was prohibited from caring for young males.
• 49% reported having witnessed discrimination by other colleagues.
• 83% have heard homophobic or offensive jokes in the workplace. Even when sexual orientation or gender identity is not disclosed, prejudice manifests itself in comments directed at third parties.
• 53% consider being LGBTQ+ to be a source of stress at work, pointing to prejudice, ignorance and lack of training on these issues as factors that aggravate emotional distress.
• 73% argue that there is an urgent need to invest in specific training on LGBTQ+ issues for all healthcare professionals. More than half say that their workplace is not prepared to deal with LGBTQ+ patients.

According to the data collected, ‘There are many obstacles to LGBTQ+ people feeling comfortable at work. In the case of healthcare professionals, the stress resulting from discrimination has a major impact on mental health,’ explains Mara Pieri, the principal investigator of the project.

‘Most participants have never revealed their identity to health services’ users or patients. This invisibility leads people to believe that there are no LGBTQ+ professionals in the health sector and, consequently, that there is no need to take action to promote inclusion – which affects both LGBTQ+ professionals and patients’, she adds.

The full survey report is available at:https://pulsar.ces.uc.pt/pt/resultados-do-questionario-realizado-online/