Cultural Competence of Turkish Nurses and Nursing Students: An Integrative Literature Review

Abstract

Introduction: Turkish population is characterized by its great cultural diversity, thus, Turkish nurses and nursing students often interact with patients of different cultural backgrounds from theirs. Cultural competence is needed to provide qualified contemporary nursing care. This study aimed to explore the literature on the cultural competence of Turkish nurses and nursing students. Methodology: The Whittemore and Knafl review methodology was used to extract, summarize, and synthesize data of 15 primary research articles published between January 2011 and January 2021. The search was done in the Turkish Academic Network and Information Center—ULAKBIM (PubMed, TRDizin, DergiPark). Results: Three themes were identified: cultural competence, cultural-related problems, and importance of training on transcultural nursing. Discussion: Appropriate educational courses on transcultural nursing should be implemented in Turkish nursing schools as well as in continuing education programs for Turkish nurses.