Background: Nowadays, healthcare professionals worldwide deliver care for increasing numbers of culturally and\nlinguistically diverse patients. The importance of cultural competence is evident in terms of the quality of\nhealthcare, and more knowledge is needed about different educational models and approaches that aim to\nincrease cultural competence. This study examines the perceptions of nurses about the content and utility of\ncultural competence training that focuses on increasing awareness of oneâ??s own cultural features.\nMethods: The training was conducted at one primary care hospital in southern Finland. Participants were\nregistered nurses (n = 14) and practical nurses (n = 6) from different hospital units. Four 4-h training sessions-\nincluding lectures, discussions and short web-based learning tasks-were arranged during a four-week period.\nSemi-structured, small group interviews were conducted with 10 participants to examine their perceptions about\nthe content and utility of the training. Qualitative content analysis with a conventional approach was used to\nanalyse the data.\nResults: Perceptions about the training were divided into three main categories: general utility of the training,\npersonal utility of the training, and utility of the training for patients. General utility pertains to the general approach that\nthe training provided on cross-cultural care, the possibility to initiate an open discussion, and the opportunity to improve\ncurrent practices. Personal utility pertains to the opportunity to become aware of oneâ??s own cultural features, to change\noneâ??s way of thinking, to obtain a new perspective on oneâ??s own communication practices and to receive justification for\ncarrying out particular workable practices. Utility for patients pertains to fostering better awareness and acknowledgement\nof patientsâ?? differing cultural features and an increased respect in healthcare delivery. Additionally, the quality of the\ntraining was highlighted, and suggestions for improvement were offered.\nConclusion: Training that increases healthcare professionalsâ?? awareness of their own cultural features was perceived as\nuseful and thought-provoking. Increased awareness might facilitate the communication between healthcare professionals\nand patients, which is a crucial component of quality healthcare. It seems that in the future, training opportunities that\nallow larger groups to participate are needed, regardless of the time and place, and utilising the potential of e-learning\nshould be considered.
Loading....