Culturally competent scholarship in nursing research

To determine the degree to which research reports published in major nursing research journals reflected Meleis's eight criteria for culturally competent scholarship.

Analytic review of 167 studies dealing with race, ethnicity, or culture from four nursing research journals, 1992-2000.

Four reviewers selected, abstracted, and scored research articles independently, in pairs, and as a group.

The mean and median Meleis scores were 2.92 and 3.00 on an 8-point scale. All scores were assigned at least once. Contextuality, relevance, and communication style were most frequently present; disclosure, empowerment, and time were least frequently present.

Assignment of Meleis scores is feasible and useful for evaluating cultural competence of research reports.