Cultural Competence of European Nursing Faculty. An International Cross-Sectional Study.

Abstract

Introduction: The diverse cultural landscape of Europe underscores the importance of culturally safe healthcare. There is a necessity to assess cultural competence among European nursing faculty to provide an international perspective on cultural competence.

Design: A descriptive, cross-sectional study.

Methods: An assessment of cultural competencies was conducted using the Cultural Competence Assessment scale, either in its original language (English) or in its translated and validated versions in Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Turkish. An online questionnaire was used to collect data. The study was conducted in 71 higher institutions, distributed across 17 countries through a consecutive sample of 1364 nursing faculty. The ethical principles of biomedical research were respected during the study, and the confidentiality of the data was guaranteed.

Results: The mean level of cultural competence of the European nursing faculty was at the level of 'good'. They showed greater cultural awareness and sensitivity than cultural competence behaviors. Significant associations were found between cultural competence level and the language of the questionnaire, level of education, having a nursing degree, leisure stays abroad, having friends from other countries or cultures, and international experiences abroad and at home. The better levels of cultural competence were found in profiles with the categories of: women with a Nursing Degree, a higher level of education, and with an ERASMUS+ stay experience.

Conclusions: This study offers an international overview of the cultural competence of nursing faculty. While the overall level of cultural competence was good, there is a need to reinforce the behaviors and factors that influence it.