Physical Assessment Skills Performing Hurdles Among Nursing Students

Nursing Education

Abstract

Background: Physical assessment skills are an essential part of the nursing profession including inspection, auscultation, percussion, and palpation. Understanding hurdles to physical assessment among nursing students create a more detailed assessment in the development of quality patient care in nursing practice. This study examined the physical assessment skills performing hurdles among nursing students.
Purpose: The purpose of the study is to assess the physical assessment skills performing hurdles among nursing students at Lahore School of Nursing, The University of Lahore.
Methods: A quantitative descriptive cross-sectional study design was used to collect data from 103 nursing students. A convenient sampling method was used for this study. The questionnaire composed of 7 subscales in evaluating the physical assessment skills performing hurdles among nursing students between the classroom and clinical setting. A paired t-test was also used in determining the differences between physical assessment skills performing hurdles among nursing students in the classroom and clinical setting.
Results: The statistical differences between physical assessment skills performing hurdles among nursing students between classroom settings and clinical settings. Subscale “reliance on others and technology” (p = .867), “Lack of time and interruptions” (p = .733), “ward culture” (p =.032), “Lack of confidence” (p = .300), “Lack of nursing role models” (p =.063), “lack of influence on patient care” (p = .088), “Specialty area” (p =.015), have significant differences in physical assessment skills performing hurdles among nursing students in classroom settings and clinical settings.
Conclusion: Although nursing students were oriented and educated about physical assessment skills as an integral part of the nursing curriculum, not often practiced in clinical settings. Reliance on others and technology, ward culture, lack of influence on patient care are hurdles in performing physical assessment skills. In addition, increasing self-confidence is vital to assess the patient’s health status effectively and minimize the hurdles in performing the physical assessment skills.