Asian Journal of Nursing Education and Research

N. A. Sheela Shenai ¹, Jisha Joseph ², Anu Jacob Kachappillil ³

Affiliations
1 Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church College of Nursing, Kolenchery, Kerala, IN
2 Dept. OBG nursing, MOSC College of Nursing, Ernakulam, Kerala, IN
3 Dept. Medical Surgical Nursing, MOSC College of Nursing, Ernakulam, Kerala, IN

Abstract

Aim: A descriptive study was conducted to assess the knowledge of staff nurses regarding legal aspects of patient care in a selected hospital at Ernakulam district. Background: Nursing practice in virtually all nations is governed by law. Each country may have different act but, they all have common purpose to protect the public¹. Many hospitals are not willing to hire nurses without the legal knowledge now that legal issues are becoming more problematic². In order to avoid liability and guard against negligence or malpractice suits, the nurse must be aware of the legal responsibilities of each aspect of the nursing role³. The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge of staff nurses regarding legal aspects of patient care. Methods: A Descriptive analytical study was conducted among 70 staff nurses working in critical care units of a Medical College Hospital of South India during the month of December 2018.Convenience sampling technique was adopted for the study. A Structured knowledge questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge on legal aspects of patient care. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: The findings of the study revealed that that Mean knowledge score was 14.88 ± 3.43. In this study Majority (84%) of the nurses had average knowledge, 3% had good knowledge and only 13% had poor knowledge on legal aspects of patient care. Conclusion: This study identified that even though majority had average knowledge on legal aspects of patient care, only a small percentage had good knowledge on the same. The nurses need to strengthen their knowledge on legal aspects to have a firm foundation of service. It can be concluded that there is a great need to sensitize nurses on legal issues appropriately.

Keywords

Knowledge, Legal Aspects, Patient Care, Intensive Care Unit, Staff Nurses.

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Betcy George ¹, Jisha Joseph ², Mary Mamachan ³, Nimmi Mariam Thomas ³, Sana Makkar ³, Sona Flix ³, Suhana Muhammed ³

Affiliations
1 Assistant Professor, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church College of Nursing, Kolenchery, IN
2 Associate Professor, Department of OBG Nursing, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church College of Nursing, Kolenchery, Kerala, IN
3 3rd Year BSc Nursing Students, MOSC College of Nursing, Kolenchery, IN

Abstract

Aim: A descriptive study was conducted to assess the perception of nursing students towards spiritual care in a selected college of nursing in Ernakulum District, Kerala. Background: In order for nursing education to prepare nurses for holistic patient care, it is critical that educators become more aware of the religious and spiritual dimensions in patient care and be able to provide adequate knowledge and skills for nurses to offer spiritually- based care in an ethical way. Furthermore, spiritual care is an essential component in the nursing context, as nurses have to care for patients who may often turn to the spiritual dimension to cope and heal. These aspects are important issues to be considered in planning what should be taught as part of spiritual care. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to assess the spirituality and perception towards spiritual care among nursing students and to assess the relationship between the same. Methods: A Descriptive analytical study was conducted among 129 BSc Nursing students studying in a Nursing College attached to a Medical College Hospital of South India. Convenience sampling technique was adopted for the study. Spirituality assessment scale and Nursing Spiritual Care Perspective Scale (NSCPS) were used to collect the data. Pilot study was conducted and the study was found to be feasible. Permission from the authorities was obtained and data collection was done. The data analysis was done using descriptive and inferential statistics and R software used for the analysis. Results: The study revealed that there was a statistically significant mild positive correlation between spirituality and nurse’s perception towards spiritual care (r=0.23, p and lt;0.01). Conclusion: Spirituality is a significant concept for the discipline of nursing with profound consequences for caring patients. Spirituality is an important aspect of holistic care. This study identified that there is a significant mild positive correlation between spirituality and spiritual care. The study found that nurses were very accepting of the need for spiritual care as part of their nursing role but that nursing education had not paid adequate attention to integrating this dimension into the nursing curriculum.

Keywords

Spirituality, Spiritual Care, Nursing Students.

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