Investigating the relationship between cultural intelligence and cultural competence among students in nursing faculties in Iran: an analytical cross-sectional study.

Background and objective: Given the multicultural and multiethnic environment in Iran, as well as the growth of medical tourism, the development of culturally congruent care is a key necessity for enhancing the quality and safety of nursing care. This study aims to investigate the relationship between cultural intelligence and cultural competence among students in nursing faculties.

Materials and methods: This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 378 students in nursing faculties from the Jovein and Tabas Nursing Faculties, who were selected through stratified sampling. Data were collected via standardized questionnaires for cultural intelligence and the Critical Cultural Competence Scale (CCCS). Data analysis was performed via descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis with SPSS software version 23.

Findings: The participants were nearly equally distributed in terms of sex (54.2% female) and were mostly single (91.8%). The overall mean cultural intelligence score of the participants was 101.66 ± 14.40, and the mean cultural competence score was 100.38 ± 10.89. According to the results of multiple regression analysis, a significant relationship was observed between the cultural intelligence and cultural competence of the students (β = 0.524, p < 0.001).

Discussion and conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, which highlight the relationship between cultural intelligence and cultural competence among students in nursing faculties, it seems necessary to focus on enhancing cultural intelligence as a means to improve the cultural competence of nursing students. This, in turn, is crucial for improving the quality of healthcare services.