Competency of Nursing Care Activities at Neonatal Intensive Care Units: An Assessment Study

Abstract

Abstract Competency of nursing care activities of nurses working at neonatal intensive care units together with advancement in medical science and technology increased the survival rate of newborns that need specialized care. To ensure the quality of care and provide the safety of patients, assessing the competency of nursing care activities of nurses working at NICU seems necessary. This study aimed to assess competency of nursing care activities at the neonatal care units. Design: A descriptive design was used. Setting: The study was carried out at the neonatal intensive care units affiliated to Ain Shams University Hospital. Subjects: A purposive sample of 70 nurses working at the previously mentioned setting, regardless their characteristics. Tools of data collection involved an interviewing questionnaire (that was constructed by the researcher after reviewing related literatures to gather data in relation to characteristics of nurses such as age, qualification, years of experience……etc) and observation checklist (to assess competency of nursing care activities at neonatal intensive units). Results: The study findings revealed that nursing care activities at NICU were incompetent by nearly two thirds (64.3%) of them. There was a statistically significant difference between the total mean scores of nursing care activities competencies skills at NICU and their age, qualifications, years of experience and social status. Conclusion: The study concluded that more than half of studied nurses were having incompetent nursing care activities at NICU. Recommendations: The study recommends continuous assessment and upgrading of competency of nursing care activities at NICU.