Kontakt 2025, 27(2):123-130 | DOI: 10.32725/kont.2025.018

Assessment of nursing students' perceptions of professional competencies in providing medical care to patients with intellectual disabilities: An international pilot study of students from the Czech Republic and PolandNursing - Original article

Zdzisław Kazanowski1, Monika Parchomiuk1, Agnieszka Żyta2, Frantiąek Dolák3, *, Valérie Tóthová3, Katarzyna Ćwirynkało2
1 Maria-Curie Sklodowska University in Lublin, Faculty of Pedagogy and Psychology, Institute of Pedagogy, Lublin, Poland
2 University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Olsztyn, Poland
3 University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic

Background: Individuals with intellectual disabilities experience inequalities in healthcare.

Aim: In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to analyse the perceived professional competencies of nursing students from two countries: the Czech Republic and Poland in relation to providing medical care for patients with intellectual disabilities.

Methods: Two closed self-report questionnaires were used to examine the relationships between students' competency, their attitudes toward keeping a social distance from individuals with intellectual disabilities in healthcare, and their participation in training related to this issue. The sample consisted of 208 nursing students from two countries: the Czech Republic and Poland.

Results: Relationships were observed between students' self-assessed competencies and their social distance. Additionally, training in the field of care and treatment of individuals with intellectual disabilities played a differing role.

Conclusion: The findings highlight the complexity of developing nursing competencies in providing medical care for patients with intellectual disabilities. They suggest the need for tailored, context-sensitive training programs, ongoing research to uncover additional influencing factors, and a supportive educational environment that encourages honest dialogue and self-assessment.

Keywords: Comparative study; Competencies; Healthcare; Intellectual disability; Nursing students
Conflicts of interest:

The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

Received: December 2, 2024; Revised: February 10, 2025; Accepted: March 31, 2025; Prepublished online: April 22, 2025; Published: June 23, 2025  Show citation

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Kazanowski Z, Parchomiuk M, Żyta A, Dolák F, Tóthová V, Ćwirynkało K. Assessment of nursing students' perceptions of professional competencies in providing medical care to patients with intellectual disabilities: An international pilot study of students from the Czech Republic and Poland. Kontakt. 2025;27(2):123-130. doi: 10.32725/kont.2025.018.
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