Perceived Barriers To Performing Physical Assessment Skills of Nursing Students

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the perceived barriers of nursing students in using physical examination skills. This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted in the nursing department of the Faculty of Health Sciences of a state university.The population of the study consisted of undergraduate nursing (second, third, fourth year, n=630) students. Sample selection method was not used. All students (n=512) who volunteered to fill out the questionnaire were included in the study. Data were collected with a sociodemographic characteristics form and a questionnaire on perceived barriers to performing physical assessment. Data were analyzed with numbers and percentages. The mean age of the students was 21.28±1.40 years. Seventy-four point four of the students were women, 37.3% were fourth-year students and 40.6% received the grades C/C⁺ (60-69) and succeeded in the course Health Assessment. The perceived barriers related to students were carrying out physical assessment only after deterioration of health status (88.5%), inability of the physical assessment to improve the quality of nursing care (87.5%), lack of necessity to carry out physical assessment (85.2%), considering physical assessment as a waste of time and a source of delays in routine work (83.2%) and as irrelevant to nursing roles (80.7%). Perceived barriers related to patients and their relatives were lack of permission for physical assessment from patients (77.5%) and their relatives (78.9%) and inappropriate general health status of patients. The perceived barriers related to nursing education and clinical practice were the insufficient length of the course Heath Assessment and inadequate ability of nurses to become role models.The students considered undertaking physical assessment as unnecessary. The most significant barrier to carrying out physical assessment was related to students, followed by barriers related to clinical practice and nursing education. Constructive approaches are needed to change students’ behavior about the necessity of physical assessment.