Abstract
Purpose: With globalization, the importance of global health is being stressed. Although nurses are indispensable healthcare professionals, programs to develop nurses with global health competencies and relevant studies are rare. Accordingly, this study was designed to develop a program to increase global health competencies and global leadership in nursing students and test its effect.Methods: A single group pre- and post-test study design was used. A 13-weeks program was developed and implemented with 204 students. Data were analyzed using paired t-test. The program to promote global health competencies was designed to improve nursing students' knowledge of global health, global leadership, global health competencies, critical thinking ability, and student-student partnership.Results: Global health competencies (t = −19.96, p < 0.001), self-assessed global leadership (t = −7.67, p < 0.001), and critical thinking ability (t = −7.67, p < 0.001) all significantly increased.Discussion: The study findings of increased global health competencies and global leadership in nursing students after participation in the program indicated ways in which global health competencies of nurses need to be developed. Therefore, the following aspects should be considered. First, nursing educators should understand the need and importance of global health education and accordingly, current nursing curriculums should be revised to include courses about global health. A systematic course of studies about global health should be developed and implemented based on discussions among experts and researchers. Second, as future health care professionals, nursing students should take an interest in global health problems and recognize various issues that need to be solved beyond borders between countries. To develop global health competencies, various efforts and systematic curriculum revisions are necessary.
Highlights
As international interdependency is increasing due to advancements in globalization, information, and air traffic, the world is experiencing an increase in human mobility; it is important to make efforts to address infectious and non-infectious diseases and health inequalities [1]
The International Council of Nurses (ICN) expounds that nurses are professionals who promote human health should have an understanding of social determinants of health like poverty, education, stress, employment and occupation, and food safety, which are areas where nurses can apply their knowledge and experiences, and that quality of life of individuals, families, communities, and citizens of a country will improve through such nursing activities [4, 5]
After participating in the program, nursing students in this study showed significant improvement in all essential global health competencies
Summary
It has been pointed out that to continue improving global health, the quality of health workers, professionalism, and leadership skills, should be enhanced [3]. The size of investment in public health projects has steadily increased, and the Global Advisory Panel on the Future of Nursing stresses nursing education, practice, research, and leadership to develop and sustain actions and solutions to achieve the goal [4]. The International Council of Nurses (ICN) expounds that nurses are professionals who promote human health should have an understanding of social determinants of health like poverty, education, stress, employment and occupation, and food safety, which are areas where nurses can apply their knowledge and experiences, and that quality of life of individuals, families, communities, and citizens of a country will improve through such nursing activities [4, 5]
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