Abstract:
Assessment of Barriers to Implementation of Nursing Process (NP) among nurses working
at University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (UTHK).
Background: The Nursing Process (NP) is a professional framework adapted globally to guide
and help professional nurses to deliver quality patient centered care.
Aim of the study: Assessing barriers to implementation of Nursing Process among nurses
working at University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (UTHK).
Methods: A cross sectional design employing quantitative methods was conducted at UTHK.
Data were collected from 142 nurses using a self directed questionnaire. Statistic package for
social sciences (SPSS) version 20.0 was used to analyze data using descriptive statistics
(frequencies) and inferential statistics (chi-square, Fisher).
Results: The majority of nurses (73.2%) implemented NP. Of 142 nurses, one half (43%) did not
follow all steps of the process while 56% achieved the total score of the NP implementation.
Findings indicated that demographic factors had a significant relationship with NP
implementation (sex: p=0.038; marital status: p=0.002; experience: p=0.000). Knowledge and
trainings of nurses on the process were significantly associated with its implementation
(p=0.000). Institution factors also had a significant association with NP implementation (p=
0.009) and nurses’ perception to NP (p=0.003).
Conclusion and recommendations: Knowledge of nurses was not adequate to put NP into
practice. Work overload, lack of materials, poor motivation as well as nurses’ perceptions to NP
affected its implementation. There is a need to put into practice training on NP for practicing
nurses focusing on its benefits and the hospital should consider NP implementation critically by
supply all needed resources for the process, motivating nurses and evaluating its progress.
Key words: Implementation, Barriers, Nursing Process, Nurse, Nursing Care Plan
