Cultural Awareness in Nursing: Concept Analysis Using Rodgers’ Evolutionary Approach

Background: The necessity of nurses’ cultural awareness in the caring process has been emphasized; however, there is a need to define this concept clearly; so the aim of this study was to clarify the cultural awareness concept in the nursing context. Methods: in this qualitative study, a concept analysis using 6-steps Rodgers’s evolutionary method (Determining the intended concept and the related terms, selecting the appropriate domain for data gathering, determine attributes, antecedents, and consequences of the concept, data analysis, stating examples and generate a hypothesis) was adopted based on thematic analysis. The articles published in English and Persian language from 2005 to 2019 were searched and then analyzed. Results: The 6 attributes of cultural awareness include “being a prerequisite to cultural competence, a dynamic and progressive process; having learning potential; being multidimensional; and including self-awareness and awareness about the service user”. Antecedents for cultural awareness consist of global diversity, cultural teaching, developing cultural skills, cultural immersion, and organizations supporting cultural awareness, and researches. Cultural competence or effectiveness, constructive intercultural interaction, and improvement of health outcomes are the consequences of cultural awareness. A definition of cultural awareness was proposed. Conclusion: In today's global diversity, providing suitable infrastructure (including cultural teaching, development, immersion, and researches) can lead to cultural awareness that is a dynamic multidimensional process of self and service user awareness that causes constructive intercultural interaction, cultural competence, and improvement of health outcomes. So, it is suggested to providing the infrastructures and do more studies related to the development of this concept.