Nurses’ Perceptions Regarding the Use of The Nursing Process; A Qualitative Study at A Public Tertiary Care Hospital, Peshawar, Pakistan (Enhancing the Quality of Nursing Care in the Public Sectors of Pakistan)

Abstract

Background:  The Nursing Process (NP) is a comprehensive approach to care, integrating nursing intuition, goal-oriented tasks, patient-centered care, critical thinking, and evidence-based practices (EBP). It aims to enhance patient outcomes and well-being by identifying, treating, and preventing health problems. Widely acknowledged as a valuable instrument in healthcare, it emphasizes the crucial function of nursing. This study filled the gap in the literature by exploring nurses' perspectives on the utilization of the NP in Pakistan.

Purpose: The study explored the nurses’ perceptions regarding the nursing process and identified the barriers and facilitators to using the nursing process in a public sector tertiary care hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan.

Methods: An exploratory descriptive qualitative study was conducted, employing a purposeful recruitment strategy with fifteen participants selected to achieve data saturation. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and subsequently analyzed using manual content analysis.

Finding(s): Five themes emerged: Nursing Process from the Nurses' Lens, Ramifications of the Nursing Process, Enabling Factors to Practice the Nursing Process, Hindrances in the Application of the Nursing Process, and Nurses' Recommendations to Enhance the Nursing Process Integration. Nurses in the public sector value the NP in patient care because of its positive ramifications but cannot apply it, due to barriers like burdensome, inadequate organizational support, and lack of autonomy in the decision-making process.

Conclusion: This research emphasized the importance of the NP in nursing care in Pakistan's public sector. Despite being aware of the potential advantages of the NP, nurses encounter numerous obstacles that prevent them from using it. It is imperative to tackle these obstacles to optimize the potential of the NP and elevate the standard of patient care within Pakistan's public healthcare infrastructure.