Cultural competence among nursing students and nurses working in acute care settings: a cross-sectional study
Abstract Background The increasing cultural diversity in healthcare in European countries, including Austria, has highlighted the need to enhance nurses’ cultural competence. Assessing cultural competence and identifying relevant influencing factors can help to improve culturally competent care. The...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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BMC
2023-02-01
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Series: | BMC Health Services Research |
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-023-09103-5 |
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author | Selvedina Osmancevic Franziska Großschädl Christa Lohrmann |
author_facet | Selvedina Osmancevic Franziska Großschädl Christa Lohrmann |
author_sort | Selvedina Osmancevic |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Abstract Background The increasing cultural diversity in healthcare in European countries, including Austria, has highlighted the need to enhance nurses’ cultural competence. Assessing cultural competence and identifying relevant influencing factors can help to improve culturally competent care. The aim of this study was to assess the cultural competence of nurses and nursing students working in Austrian acute care settings and to identify influencing factors using the Cultural Competence Assessment scale. Methods A cross-sectional design was used. Data collection was carried out in March 2021 with nurses and nursing students in the last year of their studies who were working in Austrian acute care settings. Descriptive analysis was applied to display the general characteristics of the study participants and the levels of their overall cultural competence. A multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to analyze the influencing factors of cultural competence. Results The nurses’ cultural competence level was moderate to high (mean = 3.89; SD = .48). Their age, educational level, cultural diversity training and self-perceived cultural competence significantly influenced the level (F (6, 875) = 18.971, p < .0000, adj. R2 = 1.09). Conclusions Providing culturally competent healthcare services for culturally diverse patients is essential for all healthcare professionals, and especially for nurses who spend the most time with patients. Effective interventions, such as educational training, need to be implemented in order to deliver culturally competent care and potentially reduce disparities in healthcare and improve patient outcomes. |
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format | Article |
id | doaj.art-74934bce31004a3489bd4c1a28c38b6f |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 1472-6963 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-04-10T17:20:34Z |
publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
publisher | BMC |
record_format | Article |
series | BMC Health Services Research |
spelling | doaj.art-74934bce31004a3489bd4c1a28c38b6f2023-02-05T12:07:43ZengBMCBMC Health Services Research1472-69632023-02-012311710.1186/s12913-023-09103-5Cultural competence among nursing students and nurses working in acute care settings: a cross-sectional studySelvedina Osmancevic0Franziska Großschädl1Christa Lohrmann2Medical University of Graz, Institute of Nursing ScienceMedical University of Graz, Institute of Nursing ScienceMedical University of Graz, Institute of Nursing ScienceAbstract Background The increasing cultural diversity in healthcare in European countries, including Austria, has highlighted the need to enhance nurses’ cultural competence. Assessing cultural competence and identifying relevant influencing factors can help to improve culturally competent care. The aim of this study was to assess the cultural competence of nurses and nursing students working in Austrian acute care settings and to identify influencing factors using the Cultural Competence Assessment scale. Methods A cross-sectional design was used. Data collection was carried out in March 2021 with nurses and nursing students in the last year of their studies who were working in Austrian acute care settings. Descriptive analysis was applied to display the general characteristics of the study participants and the levels of their overall cultural competence. A multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to analyze the influencing factors of cultural competence. Results The nurses’ cultural competence level was moderate to high (mean = 3.89; SD = .48). Their age, educational level, cultural diversity training and self-perceived cultural competence significantly influenced the level (F (6, 875) = 18.971, p < .0000, adj. R2 = 1.09). Conclusions Providing culturally competent healthcare services for culturally diverse patients is essential for all healthcare professionals, and especially for nurses who spend the most time with patients. Effective interventions, such as educational training, need to be implemented in order to deliver culturally competent care and potentially reduce disparities in healthcare and improve patient outcomes.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-023-09103-5Cultural competenceNursesNursing studentsInfluencing factorsAcute careCross-sectional study |
spellingShingle | Selvedina Osmancevic Franziska Großschädl Christa Lohrmann Cultural competence among nursing students and nurses working in acute care settings: a cross-sectional study BMC Health Services Research Cultural competence Nurses Nursing students Influencing factors Acute care Cross-sectional study |
title | Cultural competence among nursing students and nurses working in acute care settings: a cross-sectional study |
title_full | Cultural competence among nursing students and nurses working in acute care settings: a cross-sectional study |
title_fullStr | Cultural competence among nursing students and nurses working in acute care settings: a cross-sectional study |
title_full_unstemmed | Cultural competence among nursing students and nurses working in acute care settings: a cross-sectional study |
title_short | Cultural competence among nursing students and nurses working in acute care settings: a cross-sectional study |
title_sort | cultural competence among nursing students and nurses working in acute care settings a cross sectional study |
topic | Cultural competence Nurses Nursing students Influencing factors Acute care Cross-sectional study |
url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-023-09103-5 |
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