Educational Needs of European Intensive Care Nurses with Respect to Multicultural Care: A Mix-Method Study

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Multicultural Healthcare
• Intensive Care Nursing

Background:

• Cultural competence is crucial in diverse patient populations.
• Intensive care settings present unique challenges for multicultural care.
• Existing educational strategies for intensive care nurses (ICNs) in multicultural care require evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the educational needs of European intensive care nurses (ICNs) regarding multicultural care.
• To identify factors influencing these educational needs.
• To understand the relationship between challenging experiences and perceived educational gaps.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-method, multinational study involving 591 ICNs from 15 European countries.
• Online survey utilizing sociodemographic data, the Healthcare Provider Cultural Competence Instrument, and a specific educational needs assessment tool.
• Statistical analysis including correlation and group comparisons.

Main Results:

• Nurses from Southern Europe reported higher educational needs and lower self-assessed preparation in multicultural care.
• Increased age, multilingualism, and prior multicultural nursing education were significantly associated with higher educational needs.
• Common challenging situations involved treatment, family visits, gender issues, and communication.

Conclusions:

• Intensive care nurses require enhanced education in multicultural care to address diverse patient needs effectively.
• Educational interventions should consider factors like age, language proficiency, and prior training.
• Addressing challenging cross-cultural patient care experiences is vital for improving nursing practice and education.