Abstract:
The aim of this study was to assess the factors influencing nurses’
attitude toward patients requiring emergency care in Cape Coast metropolitan
health facilities. The objectives of the study were to determine nurses’ attitude
towards caring for patients requiring emergency care, to determine the degree
of work satisfaction experienced by these nurses and how such attitude differs
by patient characteristics, nurse characteristics, job satisfaction and
institutional factors.
One hundred and fifty nurses working in the emergency units of
hospitals in the Cape Coast Metropolis participated. With the help of four
student nurses the questionnaire was administered to all the nurses stationed at
the emergency departments of hospitals in the Cape Coast Metropolis.
Attitude to care was significantly influenced by age (0.41), sex
(0.031) rank (0.01) and working experience (0.39). Nurses felt more
comfortable dealing with victims of abuse and more objective in their
interventions for those families. Results from the study was contrary to
previous researchers, in-service education have no influence on attitude. This
is because the f-statistic (F [2, 147] = 3.10) with a highly significant value of
0.048 is less than 0.05 level of significant in the analysis of correspondent’s
take on the influence of in-service education on nursing care. The deduction is
that general life satisfaction greatly influences the attitude of nurses towards
patients with emergency needs. Negative attitudes towards patient care persist
and are influenced by personal characteristics of nurses and institutional
factors.
