Abstract
This was a descriptive, correlational study designed to evaluate the capacity to direct attention (CDA) of the nurse and to verify an association between the CDA and attention demand situations. For data collection the instruments used were: the Attentional Function Index and the Directed Attention Demands. The participants were 169 nurses of a teaching hospital in the State of São Paulo. The mean perception of performance or CDA was 60.4 which differed between the variables: unit of work (p=0.013), work hours (p=0.044), presence of health problems (p=0.026) and problems of a psychological nature (p=0.005). There was a negative association between the situations of demand and CDA (r = - 0.294, p<0.0001). It was concluded that nurses showed good CDA, which was related to some professional and demographic variables, and the higher the attentional demands, the lower the CDA.
Highlights
The environment of professional nursing practice has been the focus of national and international studies, due to two factors, the first related to the quality of care provided, with the main aspect being patient safety[1,2] and the second, related to the reduction or the shortage of these professionals[3,4,5].Nursing is a profession that requires dedication of the individual that is willing to implement it
The study allowed the conclusion that the nurses had a good perception of the attention performance or capacity to direct attention (CDA)
This differed with the nurses of the pediatric and Medical Surgical I services, whose averages were lower than other nurses in other services
Summary
The environment of professional nursing practice has been the focus of national and international studies, due to two factors, the first related to the quality of care provided, with the main aspect being patient safety[1,2] and the second, related to the reduction or the shortage of these professionals[3,4,5].Nursing is a profession that requires dedication of the individual that is willing to implement it. Besides requiring the scientific and technical knowledge to handle the demands of high complexity and specialization, it calls for the continuous professional development of communication and relationship skills, since it cannot dispense with its affective aspects, sensitivity and interpersonal relationships. It mainly requires physical and psychological skills to meet client needs, initiative and the ability to make quick decisions, which the life of another person often depends on. The American Association of Critical Care Nursing (AACN) highlights the importance of specialized knowledge, skills and experience to cope with changes arising from the complexity of patient care It emphasizes that the improvement of the working environment will favor the retention and recruitment of nurses[6]
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