Nursing Diagnosis and Care Planning Competencies of Professional Nurses A Private Hospital

Abstract

The purposes of this descriptive study were to examine the professional nurses’ diagnosis and care planning competencies in a private hospital. The sample comprised 32 professional nurses who worked for inpatient units and were selected by purposive sampling. The research tool was a competence appraisal checklist with 3 point rating scale and one open-ended note. The content validity of the tool was between 0.6-1.00, and its reliability was 0.88.The collected data were analysed by using descriptive statistics (frequency,percent, mean, and standard deviation), and content analysis. The findings were as follows. 1) Diagnosis competence of professional nurses was at moderate level. 2) Their care planning competence was also at the moderate level. Moreover, some issues of their both competences were disclosed. 1) Some diagnoses were incorrect and incomplete, no psychosocial diagnoses and diagnoses for discharge planning, without supporting data, and no diagnosis priority. 2) Some of care plans were absent; expected outcomes were unclear and unmeasurable; nursing activities were incomplete and excluded in psychological diagnoses, and uncovered 4 dimensions of nurses’ roles. Finally, 3) handwriting was illegible.