Intercultural Management

Globalization has increasingly brought permanent contact with people whose cultural background is different from what many would consider their ‘own’ culture. The area of intercultural management is of critical interest due to the impact of increased European and global migration, which has required health and social care leaders and managers to develop competency to respond to the diversity and changing needs of their workforce and service users. The communities within the European Union are now often characterised by significant diversity whether at cultural, social, or psychological levels. The purpose of this chapter is to enable health and social care practitioners to assume a clinical/ professional leadership role in quality intercultural management in the health and social care sector. This chapter will focus on developing health and social care practitioners’ knowledge and understanding in the area of intercultural management within contemporary health and social care organisations. It will focus on the critical application of knowledge to practice through the provision of underpinning knowledge, understanding and debates surrounding contemporary issues and practices in the areas of intercultural management. Many practitioners accessing this information may already work in the heath/social sector and this critical focus on intercultural and diversity management has the potential to improve the quality in health and social care services through the critical application to practice.

Knowledge, perceptions and attitudes on the sexuality of nursing students and teachers

Introduction: The personal attitudes regarding specific aspects of sexuality are of interest to practices of personal concern, as they are to practices inserted in professional roles. General attitudes towards sexuality and sexual health were evaluated. Objectives: To describe the perceptions and attitudes of students and nursing teachers about sexuality. Methods: We used a mixed methods design with a sequential strategy: QUAN→qual of descriptive and explanatory type. 646 students and teachers participated. The Sexual Attitudes Scale (EAS) of Hendrick & Hendrick (Alferes, 1999) and Attitude Scale Address Sexual and Reproductive Health (EAFSSR) of Nemčić et al (Abreu, 2008) were used. Results: There are significant differences in the level of knowledge about sexuality depending on the sample (χ2KW (2)=18.271; p=.000): students of 1st year have lower levels. The profile of the four dimensions of EAS per sample is identical in all 3 samples, having responsibility the highest average value. In subscales EAFSSR per sample and sex there are significant diferences (p<.05) for all samples and uniform pattern was noted: females have higher median values, indicating that they have more favorable attitudes towards sexual health. Conclusions: Sexual attitudes reveal a multidimensional structure based in the female identity, that shows responsibility towards family planning and sexual education, as well as towards individual self-care regarding the body and sexual and reproductive health. An attitudinal profile by gender emerges, accentuating the polarity between male and female. The importance of the training process in nursing following the personal and social development of students is corroborated.