Effect of a transformative learning program on cultural competence of Chinese nurses in a tertiary hospital: A...

To evaluate the effect of a transformative learning program on enhancing nurses' cultural competence in a Chinese tertiary hospital.

Cultural competence underpins high-quality nursing care in diverse health care settings; however, evidence on transformative learning approaches to enhance cultural competency in China, where cultural diversity has grown substantially, remains limited.

Parallel group randomized controlled trial.

One hundred and forty nurses were randomized to the experimental group (n = 70) and the control group (n = 70). The experimental group underwent a nine-week intervention grounded in Leininger's Culture Care Theory and Mezirow's Transformative Learning Theory, whereas the control group received standard education. Cultural competence was assessed at baseline, immediately post-intervention and 12 weeks post-intervention using the Chinese Cultural Competence Inventory for Nurses.

Of 132 completers, the experimental group demonstrated significantly higher overall competence than the control group (p < 0.05), with significant improvements in the domains of knowledge, skills, respect and understanding, while no significant difference was observed for cultural awareness.

The program effectively enhanced overall and multiple dimensions of cultural competence, supporting transformative learning as a valuable strategy in nurse education and professional development.