Investigation of the Level of Cultural Competence Among Mental Health Professionals in Psychiatric Hospitals in Athens.

introductionCulturally sensitive care offers healthcare professionals the opportunity to reduce racial and ethnic disparities by facilitating interactions between patients from different sectors of medical care. PURPOSE: To explore the cultural competence of mental healthcare professionals. METHODOLOGY: This descriptive, cross-sectional study with a synchronical design involved administering a self-completed questionnaire to 290 mental health professionals working in two psychiatric hospitals in Athens.

resultsThe majority of participants were nurses (61.4%) with an average of 14.5 years of work experience. About 31.4% had attended seminars on transcultural nursing care, and 67.2% had social interactions with individuals from different cultural backgrounds. High levels of knowledge were reported by 7.9-27.9% of participants, while high levels of training ranged from 9.3% to 23.8%. The percentage of participants who demonstrated high competence in various situations was between 13.4% and 34.8%. Most participants (77.6%) considered training on cultural diversity and multicultural healthcare to be highly important for healthcare professionals. Additionally, 94.8% expressed a desire for more training programs in hospitals, and 91% wanted cultural training to be included in higher education curricula. Those with postgraduate education had more knowledge, skills, comfort in handling different situations, and greater awareness (p < 0.05). Similar results were observed in participants who had attended intercultural health seminars, with the latter group also showing a better attitude (<0.001). Individuals with social interactions with people from diverse cultural backgrounds possessed more knowledge (p = 0.033), while those who had lived outside of Greece were more comfortable in managing situations with patients from different cultural backgrounds (p = 0.034). Women had a less favorable attitude toward patients from different cultural backgrounds compared to men (p = 0.012).

conclusionsThe findings highlight the need for mental healthcare professionals for cultural training at the undergraduate level and the importance of specialized training within academic and clinical settings in order to be able to deliver culturally appropriate care and perform their duties more effectively.