Chonnam Med J.  1996 Dec;32(2):277-299.

A Study on the Level of Confidence in Clinical Performance among Nurses Workings in Acute Care Settings

• Hong MS
• Suh YS

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the level of confidence in clinical performance among nurses working in the acute care hospital settings in the K City area. A survey method was utilized to collect the data in June, 1994. 122 out of 150 nurses were responded with a response rate of 81.3%. In data analysis, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's Correlation, and regression analysis using dummy variables were adopted. The study result is as follows: 1. In the level of confidence in clinical performance of nurses, there was a significant difference in age (p=.037) and martial status (p=.013) 2. The overall average score of the level of confidence in nursing performance was relatively high. 3. The group with age over 30 showed a higher level of confidence in clinical performance in the areas of education, professional skills, and communication than unmarried ones. 4. The items scored the first five highest level of confidence in a descending order were, "I can teach the sterile technique when dressing is placed", "I can perform the IV and IM procedure correctly", "I can perform the sterile wound dressing technique correctly", "I can medicate the patient properly with a right dosage, interval, and right procedure", and "I can judge the timing and necessity of wound dressing". The items scored the last five lowest level of confidence were, "I can perform physical exam sequentially", "I can perform physical exam correctly", "I can make a correct judgement on the physical exam results", "I can evaluate motor ability", and "I can measure the range of motion correctly". 5. Confidence in communication and in general activities revealed a significant difference of an interaction between age and martial status (p=.03, p=.04 respectively) and interaction between work experience and martial status (p=.02, p=0.1 respectively). These results explain about the tendency that for the unmarried nurse at the same age, the more work experience they get, the more work confidence they have, however, for the married nurse, the more experience they get, the less confidence they have. 6. Age and work experience were mildly correlated with confidence in activities of incision site care, medication, and communication with peers and other medical professionals, that is, three out of eight nursing activity areas adjusted for the specialty unit nurses. Present study involved confidence in clinical activities that can be developed among the nurses with a long term experience in the specialty area. To set up a new system of advanced practice nurse in the country, it is necessary to establish a clinical practice area of specialty. To do so; it's important to measure perception of actual clinical performance of the nurses. In assessing competency of the nurses specialized in a critical and or specialty unit, a subjective method by measuring the level of confidence in their own nursing activities can be adopted added to the method of observation and check list. As a methodological problem present study, nurses who had never had an orthopedic experience could have had a lower confidence level in clinical performance, thereby brought down the average. In the future research, clinical practice area development for the various specialties, assessment tool development measuring competency in actual clinical performance, and the relationship between work experience and martial status of the nurses in acute care setting may need to be examined in the transcultural background.

MeSH Terms

Bandages
Surveys and Questionnaires
Education, Professional
Humans
Nursing
Orthopedics
Range of Motion, Articular
Single Person
Statistics as Topic
Wounds and Injuries