Observed Utilization of the Nursing Process among Nurses in Selected Public Health Care Facilities in Kenya

Abstract

Nursing process is a systematic rational method which the nurse utilizes to plan and provide individualized care to clients. However despite efforts by various health care facilities to promote the nurses’ practice on nursing process, its utilization is still poor. Therefore, this study was undertaken to determine the utilization of nursing process among nurses in selected health care facilities in Kenya. This study was conducted among 249 nurses from five selected health care facilities in Kenya. The nurses were observed as they provided nursing care to patients, with observation checklists being used to enter the collected data. The study results showed that only about 29% (71) of the respondents were able to carry out their procedures and document according to the steps of nursing process. In conclusion utilization of nursing process among the respondents was poor. This is a situation which called for further measures to be instituted to promote utilization of the nursing process in the provision of nursing care.