The Effect of Nursing Educators’ Cultural Competence on Health Promotion in Society: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Cultural care is an essential aspect of nursing as a holistic profession. Culture influences individuals’ health behaviours, so nurses should be attentive to cultural diversity. Health promotion and disease prevention are among the main goals of nursing and caring disciplines. Nursing educators play a vital role in transferring cultural care knowledge and skills that can enhance health promotion in society. This study aimed to review the literature on the impact of nursing educators’ cultural competence on social health. Methods This was a review study that searched library resources and the PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science (WOS) databases using the keywords cultural competence, nursing educators, culture, and health promotion. The search yielded 447 articles published from 1990 to 2023. Out of these, 21 articles that addressed culture, cultural competence, and health promotion were selected after an initial screening and evaluation. Results Due to the breadth and importance of the topic, the results were presented in seven sections, and the different dimensions of the topic were discussed according to the research questions. Specifically, the researchers explored culture and its impact on health and care in the first section, defined transcultural nursing in the second section, examined cultural competence and its definitions in the third section, investigated the significance of cultural competence among nursing educators in the fourth section, assessed the cultural competence status of nursing educators in Iran and the world in the fifth section, and analysed the concept of health promotion and the effect of nursing educators’ cultural competence in the sixth and seventh sections, respectively. Conclusion Culture-based care provision is crucial for promoting health in society. The cultural competence of nursing educators as the transmitters of this knowledge is highly important. Several studies on health promotion and disease prevention have highlighted this issue. The main findings of these studies have been summarized in this review.