Unlike Western countries, Asian countries have a brief history of caring for\npatients with various cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Healthcare professionals\nface difficulty in providing care to foreign patients. Presumably, those\nwith higher cultural sensitivity possess higher cultural competency, and cultural\nindicators are associated with personal factors, such as interest in or\nlearning experience of foreign languages. We examined correlations between\nIntercultural Sensitivity Scale (ISS) and Cultural Competence in Nursing\nScale (CCNS) scores in Japanese nurses and discussed implications of our\nfindings in increasing cultural sensitivity in countries with limited exposure\nto foreign culture. A questionnaire survey on ISS, CCNS, and personal factors\nwas conducted among 156 nurses. Correlations among the two scales and\npersonal factors were analyzed. Total ISS scores were comparable with previously\nreported scores. ISS and CCNS scores were moderately correlated. ISS\nsubscale scores were moderately correlated with the learning experience of\nforeign languages. Nurses most commonly learned English; most foreign patients\nwere Chinese. Experiences of providing care to foreign patients were\nnot related to cultural sensitivity. The lowest ISS score was obtained in â??interaction\nconfidenceâ? subscale. Languages used by foreign patients did not\nmatch languages that nurses had interest in or had learned; this may contribute\nto their low confidence in interacting with foreigners. Nurses in a country\nwith limited exposure to different cultures need educational intervention\nfor providing care to foreigners regardless of their cultural experiences. ISS\nmay be useful to identify nurses who need further education to foster confidence\nwhile interacting with foreigners.
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