Barriers to physical assessment skills in nurses and nursing students: a comparative-descriptive cross-sectional study

Abstract

Research Problem/Aim: Physical assessment is an integral part of nursing interventions and an important learning outcome of nurse training programs. This paper investigated impediments preventing nurses and nursing students from putting physical assessment skills into practice. Method: This was a comparative-descriptive and cross-sectional study. The sample consisted of 118 nurses and 95 nursing students. Data were gathered using a Demographic Characteristics Questionnaire, a Physical Assessment Knowledge and Practice Questionnaire, and the Barriers to Nurses’ Use of Physical Assessment Scale. Findings: Nurses and students had a mean age of 30.53±7.14 and 21.80 ±0.77, respectively. Most nurses (82.3%) and students (95.8%) stated that they used physical assessment skills in clinical settings. Nurses had a mean Barriers to Nurses’ Use of Physical Assessment Scale “lack of time and interruptions,” “lack of influence on patient care,” subscale score of 3.30±0.69, 3.77±0.79, respectively. Students had a mean the Barriers to Nurses’ Use of Physical Assessment Scale “lack of time and interruptions” and “lack of influence on patient care,” subscale score of 3.36±0.65, and 3.96±0.75, respectively. Students had a higher mean Barriers to Nurses’ Use of Physical Assessment Scale “ward culture” subscale score than nurses (p=0.001). Conclusion: Students had a significantly higher Barriers to Nurses' Use of Physical Assessment Scale "ward culture" subscale score than nurses. The barriers preventing participants from using physical assessment skills mainly were the “lack of influence on patient care," "lack of time and interruptions," and "specialty area." Educators should encourage nursing students to develop physical assessment skills and put them into practice in laboratories. Hospital administrators should provide nurses with in-service training to execute their physical assessment skills in real-life clinical settings.