CULTURAL COMPETENCE OF STAFF NURSES: AN INPUT FOR A PROPOSED POLICY INTEGRATION ON MULTICULTURAL NURSING CARE

The expanding cultural diversity in the healthcare system demands institutions to embrace culturally-oriented nursing practices and policies that prepare nurses to learn multicultural competencies. This study is sought to assess the cultural competency level of staff nurses and to suggest a policy framework designed to integrate cross-cultural care in nursing. The investigator employed a validated instrument to measure the dimensions; Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity and Cultural Competence Behavior. The researcher utilized a descriptive research design. The data were analyzed through average weighted mean obtained from a 7-point Likert scale. Results show that the participants attained an overall mean score of 5.05 with an interpretation of “Culturally Competent”. Results show, “Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity” attained a mean score 4.84, although Cultural Competence Behavior gained a higher mean score of 5.26. The indicator with the highest mean denotes inclusive respect for all individuals, notwithstanding cultural heritage. Consequently, the lowest means revealed limited use of structured cultural assessment tools and inadequate access to multicultural learning materials. These findings shall serve as an impetus to propose institutional policy directed on areas, including: (1) compulsory training on cultural competence, (2) standardization and integration of cultural assessment into nursing care, (3) establishment of a cross-cultural resource center and (4) continuous evaluation driven by a feedback system. Hence, this study concludes that as nurses exhibit culturally competent behaviors, it is necessary to elevate and sustain a quality multicultural nursing caring through a system-wide policy reinforcement.