Islamic Cultural Intelligence in Nursing: Bridging Knowledge Regarding Muslim Religious Practices in a Selected Government Hospital in Metro Manila

The Philippines is a culturally diverse nation, with Islam being the second largest religion, comprising 6.4% of the population. As the Muslim community grows, there is a need to enhance nurses’ understanding of Muslim religious practices to provide more culturally sensitive healthcare. This study aims to assess the level of nurses’ knowledge regarding Muslim religious practices and to analyze how demographic factors may impact this knowledge, with the goal of informing strategies to strengthen Islamic culturally competent nursing practice. This quantitative descriptive-comparative study assessed the knowledge regarding Muslim religious practices among 100 ward staff nurses at a selected government hospital. A validated 25-item, 4-point Likert scale was used, with quota and convenience non-probability sampling techniques for participant selection. The study identified significant differences in the level of knowledge regarding Muslim religious practices, particularly in dietary practices (p-value = 0.008) and pregnancy and childbearing practices (p-value = 0.035), when categorized by years of experience. Nurses with 5-10 years of experience achieved the highest mean score (3.153) in dietary practices, while those with 2-3 years of experience attained the lowest mean score (2.450). Conversely, nurses with less than 2 years of experience demonstrated the highest level of knowledge (Mean = 3.627) in Muslim pregnancy and childbearing practices, whereas those with 2-3 years of experience exhibited the lowest level of knowledge (Mean = 2.875). In conclusion, the study reveals a significant correlation between nurses’ experience and their knowledge of Muslim religious practices. Nurses with 2-3 years of experience showed the greatest knowledge gaps, highlighting the need for targeted educational interventions. Nursing programs should prioritize enhancing cultural competence among nurses through targeted seminars and effective information dissemination initiatives.