Evaluation of nurses' perceptions and thoughts about nursing diagnosis and nursing process

Objective: This research was conducted to evaluate the knowledge levels and practices of nurses on perception of nursing diagnoses and implementation of the nursing process. Materials and Methods: The population of this descriptive study consisted of 540 nurses working in a private group of hospitals in Istanbul and a sample of 320 nurses selected by random sampling method. Data were assessed using the Nurse Information Form and the Nursing Diagnosis Scale. The Perception Scale for Nursing Diagnosis consists of 4 sub-dimensions and 26 statements. Results: It was determined that 80.3% (n=257) of the nurses participating in the survey were female, 25.36 ± 4.832 years of mean age. Nursing diagnoses were performed in 91.3% (n=293) of the nurses 54.1% (n=173) of the nursing diagnoses were performed within the first hour after patient admission. Nurses were diagnosed with the risk of infection in 74% of patients. Nursing Diagnosis Perception Scale total score average of 2.68±0.439 (min.2-max.4) was determined to be. The statement that nurses perceive nursing diagnoses most positively and most negatively was defined as "Nursing diagnoses improve the professional image of nursing"(2.01±0.955) and the item "Nursing diagnoses are complementary to medical diagnoses" (3.71±1.017) respectively. Nursing Diagnosis Scale scores were found to be statistically significant when compared to nursing diagnosis, nurses' beliefs about using and using nursing process, gender, marital status, education level. Conclusion: Nurses perceive positively the nursing diagnoses, personal and professional characteristics influence this perception.