Perspectives of nursing faculty in Africa on global health nursing competencies

It is important to define global health competencies for health professionals. To date, we know little about perspectives of nurses in Africa where environments are particularly challenging. The purpose was to describe perceptions of nursing faculty in Africa about global health competencies and compare those to faculty from the Americas. A 32-item online survey with a convenience sample of nursing faculty. Data from 63 nurses in 21 African countries and 618 in the Americas were analyzed. Competencies related to Social and Environmental Determinants of Health were awarded relatively higher scores. Competencies related to globalization of health and health care were ranked relatively lower. This was similar across regions. Nursing education should address the social implications for health. Participants in all three regions considered Social and Environmental Determinants of Health as a priority. These data help set educational priorities in a setting where educational and training resources are limited.