Practices and Barriers towards Physical Assessment among Nurses Working in Intensive Care Units: Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND: In the intensive care units, patients need special consideration and monitor frequently with appropriate physical assessment skills. Nurses working in the intensive care units play a fundamental role in detecting patients at risk of deterioration through ongoing assessment and action in response to changing health status. Most of the nursing activities were poorly assessed in low-income countries including Ethiopia. Therefore, this study was aimed to assess the nurses' practice and barriers to physical assessment among critically ill patients in Northwest Ethiopia. METHODS: An institution-based multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted at Amhara regional state referral hospitals from March to September 2019. A total of 299 nurses working in the intensive care units were recruited through the convenience sampling method. A 30-item physical assessment practice and 36-item barriers to nurses' use of the physical assessment scale inventory were used. The linear regression analysis model was fitted, and the adjusted unstandardized beta (β) coefficient with a 95% confidence interval was used. A p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The mean score of the nurses' practice towards physical assessment among critically ill patients was 101.26 ± 24.99. Greater perceived reliance on others and technology (β = −0.78, 95% CI (-1.07, -0.48)), ward culture (β = −0.48, 95% CI (-0.85, -0.11)), specialty area (β = −1.46, 95% CI (-2.01, -0.90)), lack of nursing role model (β = −0.54, 95% CI (-1.06, -0.02)), being unmarried (β = −6.10, 95% CI (1.75, 10.46)), taken training (β = 11.53, 95% CI (6.34, 16.72)), and knowledge score (β = 2.81, 95% CI (2.00, 3.63)) were the factors significantly associated with the nurses' practice score towards physical assessment. Reliance on others and technology towards physical assessment practice was the most important barrier followed by ward culture and specialty area. CONCLUSION: Nurses working in the intensive care units had a good practice towards physical assessment among critically ill patients. Hence, to increase the practice towards physical assessment in intensive care settings, especially for married nurses, experienced critical care nurses, and specialist professionals, practice support training, modifying ward environment, and educational support care are recommended.