Assessing genetic and genomic literacy concepts among Albanian nursing and midwifery students: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to adapt and validate the Albanian version of the Genomic Nursing Concept Inventory (GNCI) and to assess the level of genomic literacy among nursing and midwifery students.

Methods: Data were collected via a monocentric online cross-sectional study using the Albanian version of the GNCI. Participants included first-, second-, and third-year nursing and midwifery students. Demographic data such as age, sex, year level, and prior exposure to genetics were collected. The Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney U, and chi-square tests were used to compare demographic characteristics and GNCI scores between groups.

Results: Among the 715 participants, most were female (88.5%) with a median age of 19 years. Most respondents (65%) had not taken a genetics course, and 83.5% had not attended any related training. The mean score was 7.49, corresponding to a scale difficulty of 24.38% correct responses.

Conclusion: The findings reveal a low foundational knowledge of genetics/genomics among future nurses and midwives. It is essential to enhance learning strategies and update curricula to prepare a competent healthcare workforce in precision health.

Keywords: Albania; Cross-sectional study; Genetic; Genomics; Literacy; Midwifery students; Nursing students.