The Relationship between moral competence and cultural sensitivity levels of nurses working in primary healthcare institutions: A cross-sectional study in Turkey

Abstract

Purpose: This study was conducted to determine the moral competence and cultural sensitivity levels of nurses working in primary healthcare institutions and the relationship between the two. Methods: This cross-sectional design study conducted with 83 nurses working in primary healthcare services and was carried out between November 2018 and January 2019 in a province center in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. Results: The mean age of the nurses was 36.50 ± 6.06, the total score obtained from the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale was 91.44 ± 11.17, and the total score obtained from the Moral Competence Questionnaire for Public Health Nurses was 56.43 ± 7.71. The total scores obtained both from the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale and the Moral Competence Scale by those who lived in a big city for a long time and who got the intercultural nursing course during school were higher. No statistically significant relationship was found between the total scores obtained from both scales. However, there was a positive and statistically significant correlation between the score of Moral Competence Scale and the scores of the interaction confidence (R = 0.247; p = .025) and the interaction enjoyment (r = 0.306; p = .005) sub-dimensions of the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale. Conclusion: The moral competence and cultural sensitivity of nurses participating in the study were at a moderate level. As the moral competence of the nurses increased, their interaction enjoyment and interaction confidence levels increased, as well.