Nurses’ perceptions of the nursing process at Soroti regional referral hospital.

Abstract

Introduction: Nursing process is a systematic, patient centered method of solving patient concerns. Effective Nursing process use by nurses in patientcare is associated with better patient outcomes like reduction in length of hospital stay, reduced morbidity and mortality rates. Despite the significance of the nursing process in healthcare, the state of its use in Uganda is not well known. Objective: To explore the nurses’ perceptions of the nursing process at Soroti regional referral hospital. Methods: A qualitative study design was carried out at Soroti regional referral hospital for a period of one month. Nine participants were recruited in this study using purposive sampling. In-depth interviews were conducted aided by interview guide and tape-recording. Data was analyzed by thematic analysis method. Results: The nurses at Soroti regional referral hospital were perceived to be knowledgeable of the nursing process and having positive attitude towards nursing process use in patient care. However, In-adequate human and material resources as well as lack of supervision and motivation by the hospital administration were the perceived barriers to nursing process use at the hospital. The nurses at Soroti regional referral hospital were knowledgeable of the nursing process and had positive attitude towards nursing process use in patientcare. However, In-adequate human and material resources as well as lack of supervision and motivation by the hospital administration were the perceived barriers to nursing process use at the hospital. Conclusion: The nurses at Soroti regional referral hospital were perceived to be knowledgeable of the nursing process and willing to apply the nursing process in patient care. In-adequate human and material resources, lack of motivation and supervision were perceived barriers to utilization of the nursing process in Soroti regional referral hospital.