PURPOSE: The goals of this study were to determine and evaluate the perception of cultural competence of nurses in the Slovak healthcare system, identify factors that influence their perception, and ascertain opportunities to improve nurses' cultural competence. DESIGN: Cross-sectional nonexperimental study. METHODS: Nurses from Slovakia were surveyed in this cross-sectional study using the standardized Cultural Competency Assessment (CCA) questionnaire. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS version 22 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). RESULTS: In total, 267 nurses responded. Only 28% perceived themselves as very culturally competent to care for people from other cultures. Over 68% received no diversity training. Age (p < .011) and prior diversity training (p < .006) were significantly associated with culturally competent behavior (CCB). A significant relationship (r = 0.17; p < .015) was also confirmed between the self-reported CCA and CCB. CONCLUSIONS: Culturally competent care is a professional imperative. The ability to deliver high-quality, culturally congruent care may be enhanced by cultural diversity education and training. Further research is needed to identify other influences on cultural competency and the impact on patient care and outcomes. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: There is a need for nurses to enhance their knowledge and skills related to cultural competency, awareness, sensitivity, and behaviors. Education and training contribute to nurses' ability to provide high-quality, culturally competent nursing care to patients from different cultures, and may possibly contribute to decreased health disparities.

Assistant Professor Medical College of Rzeszow University Poland

Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Nursing Care Faculty of Medicine P J Šafárik University in Košice Slovak Republic

Associate Professor Debrecen University Faculty of Health Hungary

Chief Center for Nursing Science and Clinical Inquiry Regional Health Command Pacific Madigan Army Medical Center USA

Contract Professor G d'Annunzio University of Chieti Pescara Italy

PhD student University of South Bohemia in Ceské Budejovice Faculty of Health and Social Sciences Institute of Nursing Midwifery and Emergency Care Ceské Budejovice Czech Republic

Professor St Elizabeth University of Health and Social Sciences Bratislava Department of Health Sciences Rožnava Slovak Republic

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