Tartari Ermira, Sciortino Monique, Cassar Maria, Visiers-Jimenez Laura, Baeza-Monedero Maria Isabel, Trapani Josef
Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Malta, L-Imsida, Malta.
Department of Statistics & Operations Research, Faculty of Science, University of Malta, L-Imsida, Malta.
Nurs Open. 2025 Oct;12(10):e70339. doi: 10.1002/nop2.70339.
This study aims to evaluate the cultural competencies of undergraduate nursing students and nurse educators and identify associated factors.
Observational, descriptive, longitudinal study conducted in Malta.
Online questionnaires, based on the Cultural Competence Assessment Scale measuring self-perceived competence and reflections on international experiences, were administered to students during each of the 3 years of an undergraduate nursing programme and once to nurse educators. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied to examine cultural competence levels and their associations with demographic and experiential factors.
A total of 43, 38 and 34 students participated across the three programme years, respectively, alongside 19 nurse educators (response rates: 51.8% and 70.4%, respectively). Third-year students demonstrated very good cultural competence with a mean score of 78.24 (out of 100), while educators recorded a slightly lower mean of 73.26. Leisure time abroad before higher education significantly influenced cultural awareness in both first- and third-year students, while age was positively correlated with cultural awareness among final-year students. For educators, doctoral qualifications were associated with higher cultural awareness, and greater teaching experience correlated with more competent behaviours. Cultural competence improved progressively across the programme, suggesting clinical exposure and maturity play important roles. The inclusion of educators provided a broader perspective, showing that while awareness was strong, behaviour-based competencies require further support.
Developing cultural competence is expected to improve patient care, safety and communication in increasingly diverse healthcare contexts.
本研究旨在评估本科护理专业学生和护理教育工作者的文化能力，并确定相关因素。
在马耳他进行的观察性、描述性纵向研究。
基于文化能力评估量表的在线问卷，用于测量自我感知能力以及对国际经历的反思，在本科护理课程的3年中每年向学生发放一次，向护理教育工作者发放一次。应用描述性和推断性统计来检验文化能力水平及其与人口统计学和经验因素的关联。
在该课程的三年中，分别有43名、38名和34名学生参与，同时有19名护理教育工作者参与（回复率分别为51.8%和70.4%）。三年级学生表现出非常好的文化能力，平均得分为78.24（满分100），而教育工作者的平均得分略低，为73.26。高等教育之前在国外度过的休闲时间对一年级和三年级学生的文化意识有显著影响，而年龄与最后一年学生的文化意识呈正相关。对于教育工作者而言，博士学历与更高的文化意识相关，更多的教学经验与更胜任的行为相关。在整个课程中，文化能力逐渐提高，这表明临床接触和成熟度起着重要作用。纳入教育工作者提供了更广阔的视角，表明虽然意识较强，但基于行为的能力需要进一步支持。
培养文化能力有望在日益多样化的医疗环境中改善患者护理、安全和沟通。
