FROM COMPETENCE TO RESPONSE: A BINATIONAL SURVEY EXAMINING CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE HAEMODIALYSIS CARE

Ms SARA ARYAL¹, PAUL BENNETT¹, AREUM HYUN¹, ROCHELLE WYNNE², MELISSA BLOOMER³

¹SCHOOL OF NURSING & MIDWIFERY, GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY, BRISBANE,, AUSTRALIA, ²SCHOOL OF NURSING & MIDWIFERY, CENTRE FOR QUALITY & PATIENT SAFETY RESEARCH IN THE INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH TRANSFORMATION, DEAKIN UNIVERSITY, GEELONG,, AUSTRALIA, ³SCHOOL OF NURSING AND MIDWIFERY, LA TROBE UNIVERSITY, BUNDOORA,, AUSTRALIA

Biography:

Sara is a renal nurse and a lecturer in nursing. She is also currently undertaking a PhD, with a strong passion for equitable and culturally responsive care in kidney care.

Abstract:

Introduction: People with diverse cultural characteristics have unique care needs and preferences. Cultural competence refers to awareness of and sensitivity to these differences, while cultural responsiveness emphasises actions and behaviours. Both are essential for equitable care, yet evidence on haemodialysis nurses’ cultural competence and cultural responsiveness remains limited.

Aim: To examine haemodialysis nurses’ cultural competence and responsiveness when caring for people with diverse cultural characteristics.

Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was available to members of the Renal Society of Australasia between February and April 2025. The 25-item Cultural Competence Assessment instrument measured cultural awareness and sensitivity, and culturally responsive behaviours. Data were exported for descriptive and inferential statistical analyses in SPSS (version 30.1).

Results: Of 123 complete responses, overall cultural competence was high (M = 5.09, SD = 0.76), particularly awareness and sensitivity (M = 5.76, SD = 0.53), with significantly higher scores among those who had completed cultural awareness training (p = .009). In contrast, culturally responsive behaviours were moderate (M = 4.53, SD = 1.23), highlighting the gap between cultural competence and responsiveness. The lowest scoring areas were documentation of patients’ cultural needs (M = 3.88, SD = 2.02) and access to cultural learning resources (M = 3.02, SD = 1.75), indicating limited support.

Conclusion: High cultural competence does not necessarily translate into culturally responsive behaviour. Providing nurses with organisational resources, including guidelines for documenting patients’ cultural needs, cultural assessment tools, and accessible learning resources, may help bridge this gap, supporting equitable, and person-centred haemodialysis care.