Knowledge and Practice of Skills for Physical Assessment of Patients by Nurses in the Greater Accra Regional (Ridge) Hospital

Abstract

Physical assessment is fundamental to the nursing process which forms an integral part of nursing practice and a standard of professional practice. This research aimed at determining level of knowledge and practice of physical assessment skills among nurses at the Greater Accra Regional (Ridge) Hospital. A descriptive cross- sectional survey was employed. A sample size of 262 nurses/midwives was used for the study. The study employed census as the sampling method. A self-administered structured questionnaire was used for data collection on level of knowledge, practice and barriers of physical assessment. Data was analysed using SPSS version 22. The findings revealed that nurses at Ridge Hospital have good knowledge on physical assessment, however their knowledge does not translate into practice. Physical assessment skills were good for observation, satisfactory for palpation and percussion but poor for auscultation. Lack of confidence, inadequate time and interruptions, specialty area, lack of resources, and lack of ward culture were perceived as barriers whiles reliance on others/technology, and lack of nursing role model were not perceived as barriers. There was an association between educational qualification and level of knowledge, p< 0.001. However, there was no significant difference between ranks and practices, [F = 1.655, P > .05]. Despite having high knowledge on physical assessment, practice was poor among the nurses. It was recommended that the Ministry of Health and the training institutions should emphasize on physical assessment in the curriculum. Ghana Health Service and health service institutions should organize in-service training for their staff to enhance their physical assessment practices for quality care.