Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 22, 2025

Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
Registered general nurses' health assessment practices in a tertiary hospital: A focused ethnography study
Mohammed Awal Salifu1, David Abdulai Salifu2, Janet Gross3
1Nursing and Midwifery Training College, Damongo, Ghana.
Aim:
To explore the assumptions and values that influence nursing health assessment practices among registered general nurses in general medical and surgical wards.
Design:
The study was designed as a focused ethnography.
Methods:
A semi-structured interview guide was used to explore prevailing nursing health assessment practices of 13 registered general nurses in an attempt to explore the assumptions and values influencing health assessment practices in the study setting. Data were analysed inductively using an interpretive qualitative content analysis method.
Results:
Nursing health assessment practices, and underlying assumptions and values were underpinned by a central theme of a culture of low expectation relating to nursing health assessment. The culture of low expectation was highlighted in five themes: (1) Unsystematic Assessment of Health Status, (2) Purpose of Nursing Health Assessment, (3) The Role of Nursing Educational and Regulatory Institutions, (4) Ward Ethos and (5) The Role of Organizational and Ward Leadership.
Implication:
The adoption of a holistic nursing health assessment framework with a clearly defined purpose of aiding nursing diagnoses can guide patient-centred care delivery and facilitate early recognition of physiological deterioration.
Patient Or Public Contribution:
Thirteen registered general nurses were interviewed, and the initial findings returned to them for validation.
Conclusion:
The potential contribution of nursing health assessment to nursing practice and patient outcomes may not be fully realized if nursing health assessment is not situated within a holistic health assessment model with a clearly defined purpose for nursing practice.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Nursing Assessment
The nurse collects all aspects of the patient's health in the initial assessment, establishing priorities for ongoing focused assessments...
Nurses' Legal Responsibilities III
Cultivating a culture of collaboration and mutual respect among nurses transcends mere enhancement...
Nurses' Legal Responsibilities II
Communication between nurses and...
Respiratory Assessment: Purpose and Indications
Objectives and Importance:
The primary goal of respiratory assessment is to evaluate patients at early risk of clinical deterioration. Since respiratory distress often precedes other signs of declining health, breathing patterns and sounds become a...
Hospitals-II
Nurses that work in...
Current Trends in Nursing I

