Applying specialist nursing assessment indicator system to improve nurse′s assessment ability in orthopedic department / 中国实用护理杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the effect of applying specialist nursing assessment indicator system on improving nurse′s health assessment ability in orthopedic department. Methods A specialist nursing assessment indicator system was developed by applying evaluation indicators of nursing care quality. That assessment indicator system consisted of 9 sub-indicators. They were assessments on local blood circulation, sensation and motion, muscle strength, pain, risk of developing pressure ulcer, risk of falling down and assessment on anal sphincter function, etc. In addition, standard assessment process was developed and applied to train 54 nurses in orthopedic department, in order to standardize and improve their ability on specialist nursing assessment. Furthermore, the assessment process was transferred into specific nursing interventions to improve nurse′s health assessment ability, too. The accurate rate on those 9 indicated assessments were evaluated and analyzed regularly, pre and post the indicator system application. In the present study, each of the 54 nurses was required to assess five patients basing on the items in the assessment indicator system. The total assessment times were 270. Results After applying the indicator system, the accurate rates of assessments on local blood circulation, sensation and motion, muscle strength, pain, risk of developing pressure ulcer, anal sphincter function and assessment on developing deep venous thrombosis were 98.89% (267/270), 99.63% (269/270), 99.26% (268/270), 97.41% (263/270), 98.15% (265/270), 91.85% (248/270), 98.15% (265/270), which were higher than 95.19%(257/270), 92.96%(251/270), 96.30%(260/270), 90.37%(244/270), 92.22%(249/270), 85.56%(231/270), 92.22%(249/270) of the time when the system was not used, and the difference was significant (χ2=5.34-16.82, P 0.05). Conclusions Applying the specialist nursing assessment indicator system was able to standardize nursing assessment behavior and improve nurse′s assessment ability. In addition, it was beneficial to improve the quality of specialist nursing care in orthopedic department.