Intercultural and Ethical Sensitivity Levels of Healthcare Professionals and Related Factors

AIM: This study was conducted to determine the intercultural and ethical sensitivity levels of healthcare professionals working in primary healthcare institutions and related factors. METHOD: This is a cross-sectional study. It conducted between January 2020 and January 2021 on healthcare professionals working in primary healthcare institutions in a western province in Turkey. The population of the study consisted of 679 healthcare professionals working in family healthcare centers, and the sample consisted of 265 healthcare professionals. In the research, a questionnaire form including personal characteristics, Intercultural Sensitivity Scale, and Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire were used. RESULTS: Healthcare professionals’ Intercultural Sensitivity Scale total score was 92.96 ± 11.96, and Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire total score was 94.13 ± 25.88. Intercultural sensitivity level increased depending on the status of gender, marital status, level of education, having a friend from different countries, and providing care for patients with different cultural characteristics, and ethical sensitivity level increased depending on the geographical region in which the person was raised. As the ethical sensitivity of healthcare professionals increased, the level of intercultural sensitivity increased (p < .05). CONCLUSION: In line with the findings obtained, it was concluded that the individual characteristics of healthcare professionals were effective on the scale scores.