Exploring the Experience of Nurses on Nursing Process Implementation in Northwest Ethiopia: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Background

The nursing process is a set of actions that help nurses to solve the nursing problems identified for a particular patient. Besides, it is possible to say it is an instrument for nurses in their daily activities, and at the same time, it requires the knowledge, skills, and attitude of its nurses. However, to the knowledge of the research team, there is no study exploring nurses experience on nursing process implementation in the study area. The study aimed to explore the nursing process implementation among nurses in selected referral hospitals of the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Ida Jean Orlando’s Theory of the nursing process guided the study.

Methods

The study employed a descriptive explorative qualitative research design. After obtaining permission from respective referral hospitals and informed written consent from nurses, a semi-structured in-depth interview with sixteen nurses were carried out to gather data. NVivo 10 software was used for analysis, and the findings were thematised under different headings.

Results

Three main themes emerged from the data: 1) care delivery approach, 2) challenges in the nursing process implementation, and 3) nurses’ preparation during training for implementing the nursing process.

Conclusion

The findings showed different degrees of nursing process implementation with a huge gap in the quality. Inadequate knowledge, attitude towards the nursing process, and skills were considered a major area of concern. The study recommends the need for coordinated efforts of all stakeholders for improving the implementation of the nursing process, as identified by this study.

Keywords:

• nursing process
• nursing process theory
• implementation
• care plan
• documentation

Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate

To confirm the Declaration of Helsinki (1964) and Population Screening Act, ethical approval for the study was obtained from Amhara Regional Health Bureau Research Office. Permission was obtained from the hospital management. Participation is determined by the person without any external influence to participate or not. Informed consent was obtained from the individual participant, and it included publication of anonymized responses. The participant of this study has the right to withdraw anytime from the research project without any negative consequences. Information is collected in private rooms and kept private all the time.

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the study participants. The acknowledgement also extends to the Amhara Regional Health Bureau Research Office for ethics approval.

Author Contributions

All authors made a significant contribution to the work reported, whether that is in the conception, study design, execution, acquisition of data, analysis and interpretation, or in all these areas; took part in drafting, revising or critically reviewing the article; gave final approval of the version to be published; have agreed on the journal to which the article has been submitted; and agree to be

accountable for all aspects of the work.

Disclosure

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Additional information

Funding

No fund obtained for this study.