The Challenge of Cross-Cultural Care Encounters: Perspective of Imported Nurses in Lhasa, Tibet

AIMS: The purpose of this study was to describe the challenge of cross-cultural care encounters from perspective of imported nurses in Lhasa, Tibet, as well as investigate the relationship of cross-cultural care encounters and its influencing factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was designed among 300 imported nurses and 255 patients selected from four comprehensive hospitals (including two Grade III Class A hospitals and two Grade III Class B hospitals) in Lhasa. The average number, standard deviations, constituent ratios, T-tests, rank-sum tests, one-way ANOVAs, multiple stepwise regression analyses, and Pearson correlation analysis were used to analyze cross-cultural care encounters and its influencing factors. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The cross-cultural care encounter of nurses was 61.73 ± 11.86, mainly relating to age, technical titles, Tibetan language ability, and participation in humanistic training. Age, gender, educational level, technical titles, Tibetan language ability, years working in Tibet, and participation in language and humanities training were the influencing factors (P < 0.05). The average total score of culturally competent care of imported nurses in Lhasa was 218 ± 31.09. Cross-cultural care encounters of nurses were positively correlated with culturally competent care (r = 0.126, P < 0.01) and the needs of patients' cultural care (r = 0.183). CONCLUSION: The scores of culturally competent care and cross-cultural care encounter of imported nurses were at a high level, and their culturally competent care was in the second stage of “conscious and incapable” status. The cross-cultural care encounter of nurses is positively related to culturally competent care and the needs of patients' cultural care. Abilities of language communication, understanding of Tibetan culture, and enhancement of the cultural ability needed optimization.