ISSN 2360-7963
Abstract
Accepted 21st April, 2018.
The clinical performance of nurses largely affects the quality of any healthcare institution. This study assessed the relationship between attitude, clinical environment and registered nurses’ perception of clinical performance in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. A descriptive correlation study was conducted among 200 registered nurses from 4 public hospitals in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Data on clinical performance was assessed with the International Council of Nurses (ICN) competency framework. Bivariate correlations were assessed using Pearson correlation. Multiple regression was used to determine the predictors of registered nurses’ clinical performance considering attitude, clinical environment and moderator variables. Two (‘positive’ and ‘negative’) and three (‘clinical supervision’, ‘learning opportunity’ and ‘interpersonal relationship’) factors explained attitude of nurses and the clinical environment respectively whereas clinical performance was explained by ‘professional, ethical, legal and quality development’, ‘clinical provision and management of clients’ and ‘clinical provision, planning and evaluation’. Professional, ethical, legal practice and quality development was predicted by negative attitudes, clinical supervision and interpersonal relationship. Per 1 score standard deviation (SD) of negative attitudes, the score of professional, ethical, legal practice and quality development decreased by 0.169 (ß; 95% CI=-0.169; -0.284, -0.052). Clinical provision, planning and evaluation was predicted by clinical supervision, learning opportunity and interpersonal relationship. Findings of this study show that the attitude of the nurses, clinical supervision and interpersonal relationship is associated with clinical performance of nurses. Motivating and ensuring effective supervision of nurses will go a long way to improve the performance of nurses.
Keywords: Clinical performance, Attitude, Nursing, Registered nurses, Ghana