Abstract

Saudi Arabia’s culturally diverse population is growing rapidly. The need for cultural competence is greatest in Paediatric units where nurses provide care to children in collaboration with their parents. Aims: To assess the level of culture competence among RNs in Saudi Arabia. Method: The sample of 394 nurses and cross-sectional descriptive correlational design was used to investigate nurses’ cultural competence, and to examine the relationships between there variables and participants’ demographic data. Using non- probability sampling, nurses working in Paediatric units across five hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital, were asked to complete a self-report questionnaire. Three of these hospitals are under the Ministry of Health (MOH), and the other two are under the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE). Results: An analysis of the data showed a mean cultural competence score of 4.88, and a mean self-reported competence of 4.13. These results suggest a high degree of cultural competency. Participants’ scores on the Culture Awareness Sensitivity subscale indicated high levels of perceived cultural awareness and sensitivity (M=4.98, 71.1%). The mean Culture Competence Behaviour subscale score for the performance of culturally competent behaviours was (M=4.78, 68.2%). Conclusion: The findings revealed a high level of culture competence despite a lack of information with respect to patient views.