Nursing care activities of community health nurses in selected health centers of Makati : an assessment / Evelyn A. Fernadez-Tadena 6

Thesis (M.A.) -- Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, Intramuros, Manila, 2000.;A thesis presented to the faculty of Graduate School of Arts, Sciences, Education, and Nursing, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Nursing. 56

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ABSTRACT. The study aimed to assess the nursing care activities of community health nurses (CHN) in the selected health centers of Makati. Specifically, it sought to answer the following questions: 1. What is the socio-demographic profile of the following respondents: a. Nursing Students in terms of: 1) age 2) sex 3) length of RLE in community health nursing b. Clients in terms of: 1) age 2) sex 3) educational attainment 4) civil status 5) religion 6) occupation 2. How do the respondents rate the nursing care activities of community health nurses in the following phases: a. assessment b. planning c. implementation d. evaluation 3. Is there a significant difference in the CHN care activities mean rating: a. between clients and nursing students b. among selected health centers Hypothesis: The following null hypotheses raised in this study were tested at 0.05 level of significance: 1. There is no significant relationship between the profile variables of respondents and the CHN care activities ratings. 2. There is no significant difference in the CHN care activities mean ratings between clients and nursing students, and among selected health centers. The study used the descriptive method of research with a questionnaire as an instrument to tackle the research problems. Three community health centers in Makati were utilized as samples. The respondents from these health centers were selected through purposive sampling consisting of 150 clients and 80 nursing students who met the required criteria for inclusion in this study. The study was conducted in December 1999 to April 2000. The tool utilized was a questionnaire developed by the researcher based on the CHN Standards of Practice set by the PNA-ANSAP Joint Committee on Standards and by the Philippine Department of Health. The statistical methods and techniques used for processing the data were tabulation of frequency and frequency and percentage distribution, and corresponding measure of central tendency. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and t-test were utilized to test the hypotheses. Findings 1. The total number of student respondents is 80. Majority are female adolescents with four rotations of related learning experience in the community. 2. Client respondents are predominantly female, early adults, high school graduates, Roman Catholics, married housekeepers and with average monthly family income within the minimum wage bracket. 3. The nursing care activities in all phases of nursing process were performed very satisfactorily by the CHN as rated by the student-affiliates. Implementation phase obtained the highest mean followed by planning and evaluation phase. Similarly, the CHN in all selected health centers were performing the nursing care activities very satisfactorily as rated by the clients. Evaluation phase obtained the highest mean followed by the implementation phase. Planning and assessment rank 3rd and 4th respectively. 3. As to the relationship between the profile variables and the CHN care activities rating, results show that the nursing students' age, sex, and length of RLE did not affect their ratings of CHN care activities. Likewise, the clients' age, sex, civil status, educational attainment, religion, occupation and income also did not affect their rating of CHN care activities. 4. The mean rating of nursing students in the CHN care activities significantly differed with that of the clients'. However, both group of populations have ratings which are qualitatively interpreted as very satisfactory. Likewise, the mean rating in the CHN care activities significantly differed among selected health centers. Conclusions: 1. There is no significant relationship between the profile variables of respondents and the CHN care activities ratings. 2. There is a significant difference in the CHN care activities rating between clients and nursing students. 3. There is a significant difference in the CHN care activities rating among the selected health centers. Recommendations: 1. The study showed that the assessment phase was the weakest of the four phases of the nursing process. Therefore, it is recommended that the CHNs should give more time in participating in the assessment procedures in the health center. 2. The lowest mean in the implementation phase was obtained by the activity on conducting home visit to follow-up cases including defaulters and drop-out as in TB control program. Therefore, continuing training programs for CHNs such as those which focus on this activity should be made as a routine activity for the staff nurses. 3. A similar research may be conducted involving the four phases of the nursing process and relating them to other variables or criteria such as organizational structure of the community health center, management policies and practices, performance appraisal system, compensation and job satisfaction, in order to identify specific factors which may influence the differences in the mean rating in the CHN care activities. 4. A replication study should be done in other areas of Metro Manila to validate the findings about the assessment of nursing care activities performed by community health nurses. 5. The findings of this study may be utilized to revise the standards of community health nursing formulated by PNA-ANSAP Joint Committee on Standards in 1982.

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