The German version of the Cultural Competence Assessment (CCA-G): cross-cultural adaptation and validation study in Austrian acute care settings

BACKGROUND: Adapting practices to respond sensitively to increasingly culturally diverse patients can be challenging. Therefore, cultural competence among nurses needs to be assessed to evaluate their current cultural competence and the need for interventions to improve daily nursing practice. Little is known about cultural competence of nurses in German-speaking countries, including Austria, as there is currently no validated tool in German to assess cultural competence in nurses. The aims of this study were to translate and cross-culturally adapt the Cultural Competence Assessment scale in German and to evaluate its psychometric properties. METHODS: This is a methodology study with a cross-sectional design. Conducting a convenience sampling, Austrian nurses working in the direct care of patients in acute care settings were invited to participate in this study. Data collection was conducted in March 2021. The translation and cross-cultural adaptation were conducted by following the guidelines of Sousa et al. (J Eval Clin Pract 17:268-74, 2011) and Beaton et al. (Spine 25:3186-91, 2000). The face and content validity, structural validity, and internal consistency reliability of the Cultural Competence Assessment scale, which consists of 25 items, was evaluated. Data were analysed using content validity index, confirmatory factor analyses as well as McDonald’s Omega. Descriptive statistics were computed with the statistical software IBM SPSS Statistics 26, while the confirmatory factor analysis was conducted with the R package Lavaan. RESULTS: Overall, 915 nurses completed the questionnaire. Twenty items had an acceptable item content validity index. Using confirmatory factor analyses, a two-factor model with 14 items yielded a good fit (x(2)/df = 3.16; CFI = .923; TLI = .908; RMSEA = .055 (.049–.062) and SRMR = .039). Internal consistency reliability was found to be acceptable, as indicated by a Omega of .87. CONCLUSION: The German version of the Cultural Competence Assessment scale (CCA-G) can be recommended for measuring cultural competence behaviour of nurses in acute care settings. The 14-item scale showed strong construct validity and acceptable internal consistency. Further research using repeated measures could determine the cultural sensitivity and indicate if the tool is applicable in other healthcare settings and for other healthcare professionals. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12912-022-00854-w.