Jurnal Internasional Afrika vol. 10 issue 1 2020
African Journal of Emergency Medicine
Self-assessed competencies of nurses at an emergency department in Ghana
Dublin Core
Title
Jurnal Internasional Afrika vol. 10 issue 1 2020
African Journal of Emergency Medicine
Self-assessed competencies of nurses at an emergency department in Ghana
African Journal of Emergency Medicine
Self-assessed competencies of nurses at an emergency department in Ghana
Subject
Perceived abilities
Registered nurses
Emergency nurses
Accident
Emergency centre
Registered nurses
Emergency nurses
Accident
Emergency centre
Description
Introduction: The nature and scope of emergency nursing exposes nurses to a wide array of patient populations
with rapidly changing and unexpected clinical conditions, sophisticated logistics and procedures. Hence,
emergency centre (EC) nurses ought to be ready to face diverse clinical challenges and deliver care to patients in
a timely cost-effective manner and with the needed competence. The current study aimed at examining the selfassessed
competencies of nurses, and comparing ratings among certified emergency nurses (ENs) and general
nurses (GNs) working at an EC of a tertiary hospital in Ghana.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional quantitative study was carried out among 109 conveniently sampled
nurses. Participants evaluated their perceived competencies on a validated instrument under five domains,
namely: diagnostic function (DF), administering and monitoring therapeutic interventions (AMTI), effective
management of rapidly changing situations (EMRCS), organisational and work load competency (OWLC), and
the helping role (HR). Descriptive and inferential data analyses were by SPSS version 25.
Results: Participants generally had good competencies in the performance of emergency nursing procedures.
Highest scores were obtained in OWLC (median score of 83.3%) while EMRCS recorded the least scores (median
score of 57.9%). With the exception of the DF domain (p=0.166), ENs perceived themselves as significantly
more competent than their counterpart GNs in 4 (OWLC, HR, AMTI, EMRCS) out of the five studied domains
(p < 0.05).
Discussion: Specialist training enhances nurses' perceived competences in emergency nursing procedures. This
reiterates the need for regular theory and practice-based education for GNs on intermediate and advanced
procedures as they prepare to enrol in specialist programmes. As nurses take on expanded professional roles in
this emerging nursing specialty in low- and middle-income countries, it is important the needed capacity is
developed to adequately address the needs of patients and families that require services in ECs
with rapidly changing and unexpected clinical conditions, sophisticated logistics and procedures. Hence,
emergency centre (EC) nurses ought to be ready to face diverse clinical challenges and deliver care to patients in
a timely cost-effective manner and with the needed competence. The current study aimed at examining the selfassessed
competencies of nurses, and comparing ratings among certified emergency nurses (ENs) and general
nurses (GNs) working at an EC of a tertiary hospital in Ghana.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional quantitative study was carried out among 109 conveniently sampled
nurses. Participants evaluated their perceived competencies on a validated instrument under five domains,
namely: diagnostic function (DF), administering and monitoring therapeutic interventions (AMTI), effective
management of rapidly changing situations (EMRCS), organisational and work load competency (OWLC), and
the helping role (HR). Descriptive and inferential data analyses were by SPSS version 25.
Results: Participants generally had good competencies in the performance of emergency nursing procedures.
Highest scores were obtained in OWLC (median score of 83.3%) while EMRCS recorded the least scores (median
score of 57.9%). With the exception of the DF domain (p=0.166), ENs perceived themselves as significantly
more competent than their counterpart GNs in 4 (OWLC, HR, AMTI, EMRCS) out of the five studied domains
(p < 0.05).
Discussion: Specialist training enhances nurses' perceived competences in emergency nursing procedures. This
reiterates the need for regular theory and practice-based education for GNs on intermediate and advanced
procedures as they prepare to enrol in specialist programmes. As nurses take on expanded professional roles in
this emerging nursing specialty in low- and middle-income countries, it is important the needed capacity is
developed to adequately address the needs of patients and families that require services in ECs
Creator
Victoria Bam, Abigail Kusi-Amponsah Diji, Ernest Asante, Alberta Yemotsoo Lomotey, Pearl Adade, Berlinda Asante Akyeampong
Source
www.elsevier.com/locate/afjem
Publisher
afem
Date
12 September 2019
Contributor
peri irawan
Format
pdf
Language
english
Type
text
Files
Citation
Victoria Bam, Abigail Kusi-Amponsah Diji, Ernest Asante, Alberta Yemotsoo Lomotey, Pearl Adade, Berlinda Asante Akyeampong, “Jurnal Internasional Afrika vol. 10 issue 1 2020
African Journal of Emergency Medicine
Self-assessed competencies of nurses at an emergency department in Ghana,” Repository Horizon University Indonesia, accessed September 20, 2024, https://repository.horizon.ac.id/items/show/2417.
African Journal of Emergency Medicine
Self-assessed competencies of nurses at an emergency department in Ghana,” Repository Horizon University Indonesia, accessed September 20, 2024, https://repository.horizon.ac.id/items/show/2417.