Evaluation of the Nurses’ Performance in the Care of Patients in Surgical Wards in the Hospitals of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences

Abstract

Background: Nurses form the largest group among the healthcare workers and are legally and ethically responsible for the quality of patient care. Given that the performance of standards is one of the important aspects of care of the patients, particularly those undergoing surgery, this study aimed to evaluate the performance of nurses in the care of patients in surgical wards in the hospitals of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences. Methods: This was a cross - sectional study conducted among all the nurses in the abdominal surgery wards, and the sample size was 30 nurses. The data collection instrument was a researcher - made questionnaire about the standard care of patients after abdominal surgery, and its validity (using expert panel) and reliability (using test - retest) were confirmed. The SPSS software was used for the analysis of the data. Results: The results showed that the lowest standard performance was in the surgical wards for relieving pain by administering the drug using an infusion pump (0%), and the highest standard performance was for dressing based on principles of asepsis (67%). Conclusions: The reasons for the non - performance of standards can be the factors such as the lack of equipment, the low number of nurses, high workload, and lack of motivation. Therefore, it is recommended that studies be conducted on the causes of and obstacles to the performance of these standards.