PROFESSIONAL NURSES’ VIEWS ON THE USE OF THE NURSING PROCESS AT THE 37 MILITARY HOSPITAL, ACCRA

This research study was set off to explore the views of nurses at the 37 Military hospital in Accra on the use of the nursing process. An exploratory descriptive approach to qualitative research was employed and the target population was all registered nurses working on the wards at the hospital. Consent was sort from participants who were purposefully selected. A total number of ten participants were interviewed based on data saturation and the data were analyzed using latent content analysis. From the data analysis, four main themes emerged. It was found that nurses were of the view that effective use of the nursing process will facilitate the handing over and taking up procedures which are carried out on daily basis on the ward, they were of the opinion that the use of the nursing process will add value to the nursing profession and help ensure professional autonomy. This will lead to improvement of the quality of care that the patient receives. It is recommended from the findings that there should be regular in-service training on the nursing process for nurse clinicians, to continually update their knowledge and skills on the use of the nursing process so that it could be effectively implemented on the ward and in similar healthcare situations. During handing over of the care that has been rendered to the patients by the nurses, the care plan should be a means of communication and it should be part of the patient's folder. Nursing administration should consider developing a standardized care plans which have been proven to save time in its utilization in the clinical settings.