THE INFLUENCE OF THE NURSES’ CHARACTERISTICS AND THE NURSES’ ATTITUDES ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NURSING CARE PLAN IN MACHAKOS COUNTY

Purpose: This descriptive cross-sectional study sought to assess the implementation of the nursing process by nurses in two sub county hospitals in Machakos county, Namely: Kangundo and Kathiani sub county hospitals. The study examined the influence of the nurses’ characteristics and the nurses’ attitudes on the implementation of the nursing process in the  sub County. Methods: A self-administered questionnaire collected quantitative data, while key informant interviews were used to gather qualitative information. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics (in particular, the chi-square and Fisher’s Exact) were derived from the data. Results: Sixty-three percent of the nurses (n=45) had drafted a NCP a week prior to the study while 35.7% (n=25) had not. Seventy-five percent of them (n=41) had implemented the NCP. The nurses who developed the nursing care plan frequently ended up implementing it (100%, n=43) compared to those who did not (23.1%, n=3; fisher’s Exact Test P=0.000). Similarly, among the nurses who did not implement the nursing process, 76.9% (N=10) of them felt that NCP is time consuming. This difference was significant at 5% confidence level (LR=8.717, df=2, p=0.013). Although statistical analysis revealed no significant association between nursing process implementation and socio-demographic factors (p>0.05), qualitative findings suggested that the newly qualified nurses are more familiar with the nursing process than their older colleagues. Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: study recommends that nursing administration cultivate positive mentality among nurses towards the nursing process; particularly focusing on making nurses understand that the tool should be consistently used among all patients and that it significantly improves patient care.