INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION COMPETENCE OF HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS CARING FOR PATIENTS FROM DIVERSE CULTURES

Year 2024, Volume: 9 Issue: 3, 196 - 209, 31.10.2024

Serdar Türedi , Hatice Gülsoy , Hatice Öntürk Akyüz

https://doi.org/10.33457/ijhsrp.1487305

Abstract

This research aims to examine the intercultural communication competence of healthcare professionals providing care and treatment to patients from different cultures. It evaluates the impact of intercultural communication on the quality and effectiveness of healthcare services. Method: The research was conducted with the participation of 280 healthcare professionals working at Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University Hospital. Data were collected using the Intercultural Sensitivity, Intercultural Effectiveness, and Intercultural Awareness scales. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 25.0, and non-parametric tests were used for data that did not follow a normal distribution. Findings: Of the participants, 67.8% were female, 74.7% were under 25 years old, and 81.6% were single. In terms of education, 36.8% had an associate degree, and 44.8% had a bachelor's degree. The effects of demographic variables such as gender, marital status, and work department on intercultural competence were examined. Women scored higher than men in the Identity Protection sub-dimension, while married individuals scored lower than singles in the Cultural Communication Awareness sub-dimension. Paramedics had higher intercultural effectiveness scores compared to nurses. Discussion: The duration of experience significantly affected the Comfort in Communication sub-dimension. Higher education levels were associated with increased intercultural sensitivity and effectiveness scores. Those who received intercultural patient care training had higher scores, and those willing to work with patients from different cultures had higher intercultural sensitivity and effectiveness scores. Conclusion: These findings emphasize the importance of intercultural training and development programs to improve the quality of healthcare services. Enhancing healthcare professionals' intercultural communication skills is crucial for increasing patient satisfaction and the effectiveness of healthcare services.

Keywords

cultural competence, cultural diversity, health tourism, healthcare workers, nursing

Ethical Statement

The study was carried out in line with the principles of the Helsinki Declaration. Ethics committee permission numbered 2024-SBB-0179 was obtained from Bartın University Ethics Committee for the research.

Supporting Institution

The research is not supported by any organization.

Project Number

2024-SBB-0179

References

• Y. Zhang, J. Xi, and L. Owens, "Chinese people’s explicit and implicit attitudes toward rural left-behind elderly in the context of traditional-modern culture conflicts," The Social Science Journal, vol. 58, no. 1, pp. 1–15, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1080/03623319.2021.1908108
• W. Chu, G. Wippold, and K. D. Becker, "A systematic review of cultural competence trainings for mental health providers," Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, vol. 53, no. 4, pp. 362–374, 2022.
• X. Dai and G. M. Chen, Conflict management and intercultural communication. Routledge, 2017. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.9781315266916
• C. Luo and S. Jiang, "The knowledge map of gender equality in cross-cultural communication: A bibliometric approach," Heliyon, vol. 9, no. 6, p. e07845, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e07845
• D. E. Camacho-Rodríguez, D. A. Carrasquilla-Baza, K. A. Dominguez-Cancino, and P. A. Palmieri, "Patient safety culture in Latin American hospitals: A systematic review with meta-analysis," International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 19, no. 21, p. 14380, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114380
• A. Malik, P. Budhwar, and K. Kandade, "Nursing excellence: A knowledge-based view of developing a healthcare workforce," Journal of Business Research, vol. 144, pp. 472–483, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.02.021
• S. S. Tsang and T. V. T. Nguyen, "Sociocultural adaptation and job satisfaction as mediators between cultural competence and intention to stay among Vietnamese workers in Taiwan," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 1–12, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-01689-w
• B. De-María, G. Topa, and M. A. López-González, "Cultural competence interventions in European healthcare: A scoping review," Healthcare, vol. 12, no. 10, p. 1040, May 2024. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12101040
• C. Yang, "Motivational cultural intelligence and well-being in cross-cultural workplaces: A study of migrant workers in Taiwan," Employee Relations, vol. 45, no. 3, pp. 743–761, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-03-2022-0137
• E. S. Wellwood, "The other 2/3 of the iceberg: Building intercultural understanding in a monocultural setting," M.S. thesis, Western University, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1484&context=oip
• L. Pham, S. Rosén, and T. Nguyen, "The influence of cultural distances on the relationship between motivational practice and job satisfaction: A quantitative study comparing multinational corporations in Vietnam and Sweden," International Journal of Business and Management Studies, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJBMS-03-2023-0145
• E. B. Shiraev and D. A. Levy, Cross-cultural psychology: Critical thinking and contemporary applications, 6th ed. Routledge, 2020.
• O. Hargie, Skilled interpersonal communication: Research, theory and practice, 6th ed. Routledge, 2021.
• G. C. N. Hall, Multicultural psychology. Routledge, 2022.
• J. Du, R. Wang, and C. Jiang, "Cultural intelligence, diversity climate, and employee behavior: A study of MNE subsidiaries in China," Journal of Comparative International Management, vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 159–175, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1504/JCIM.2023.110023
• P. Hagqvist, A. Oikarainen, A. M. Tuomikoski, J. Juntunen, and K. Mikkonen, "Clinical mentors' experiences of their intercultural communication competence in mentoring culturally and linguistically diverse nursing students: A qualitative study," Nurse Education Today, vol. 87, p. 104348, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2020.104348
• H. K. Yakar and S. E. Alpar, "Intercultural communication competence of nurses providing care for patients from different cultures," International Journal of Caring Sciences, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 1743–1755, 2018.
• I. Papadopoulos, S. Shea, G. Taylor, A. Pezzella, and L. Foley, "Developing tools to promote culturally competent compassion, courage, and intercultural communication in healthcare," Journal of Compassionate Health Care, vol. 3, pp. 1–10, 2016. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40639-016-0023-4
• N. M. Bakić-Mirić, S. Butt, C. Kennedy, N. M. Bakić, D. E. Gaipov, M. Lončar-Vujnović, and B. Davis, "Communicating with patients from different cultures: Intercultural medical interview," Srpski Arhiv za Celokupno Lekarstvo, vol. 146, no. 1–2, pp. 97–101, 2018. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.2298/SARH1802097B
• H. Mosed, M. Periord, and M. Caboral‐Stevens, "A concept analysis of intercultural communication," Nursing Forum, vol. 56, no. 4, pp. 993–999, Oct. 2021. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1111/nuf.12581
• F. Akdeniz, Probability and statistics. Akademisyen Publishing, 2022.