Nurses' self-assessment of skills in the cardiovascular physical examination

Background: cardiovascular diseases are the most common causes of death all around the world. Regarding to the critical role of the cardiovascular system, its' physical examination is a key component of nursing skills which plays an important role in determining the health and problems of the cardiovascular system and designing an appropriate nursing care plan. Evaluating the skills of health care providers is important to ensure the quality of care. This study was aimed to assess the nurses' self-assessment skills about cardiovascular physical examination. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 200 nurses working in Isfahan province hospitals in the first two months of 2013. Data was collected by a researcher made questionnaire including two parts: the first part was included demographic data and the second part was included 18 skills in cardiovascular physical examination in two different columns. In the first column, the frequency of using skills, and in the second column, the level of their proficiency was self-assessed by nurses. Statistical analysis was conducted through ANOVA and independent T tests in SPSS software, version 11.5. Results: The findings showed that most and the least used skills by nurses to assess cardiovascular system were heart rate and Trendelenburg test, respectively. Also, the highest level of proficiency of the nurses were in assessing heart rate and the lowest level of proficiency was in assessing Hepatojugular reflex and Trendelenburg test. In total the skills of cardiovascular physical examination in nurses was lower than desirable. Conclusion: the level of proficiency in the skills of cardiovascular physical examination and their application in clinical settings in nurses was not reported satisfactory, regarding that the examination of this system has a vital role in the patients' health, and this issue needs special training measures.