Effect of a mobile app-based cultural competence training program for nurses: A pre- and posttest design

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Cultural Competence Training
• Digital Health Interventions

Background:

• Increasing patient diversity in South Korea necessitates culturally competent nursing care.
• Current cultural competence training for nurses in South Korea is limited.
• Diversification of patient backgrounds highlights the need for enhanced cultural competence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a mobile app-based cultural competence training program for nurses.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of this app-based training in a South Korean tertiary hospital.

Main Methods:

• A one-group pre- and posttest intervention design was employed.
• A mobile app was developed using the ADDIE instructional model.
• 49 nurses participated in the study, with cultural competence scores analyzed pre- and post-intervention.

Main Results:

• Nurses' mean cultural competence scores significantly increased from 63.00 to 81.06 post-training (p < 0.001).
• Greater improvements were observed in nurses with no prior international experience (over 1 month) and those with less experience caring for foreign patients.
• The program demonstrated significant effectiveness in enhancing cultural competence.

Conclusions:

• The mobile app-based cultural competence training program is effective for nurses in South Korea.
• This novel program can be integrated as on-the-job training to boost nurses' cultural competence.
• The findings support the use of digital tools for improving healthcare provider cultural competency.