Self-perception of nurses’ competence in family assessment and intervention

OBJECTIVE: To describe nurses’ self-perception of competence in family assessment and intervention METHODS: A sample of 551 Portuguese primary care nurses was selected. A Likert-type questionnaire with 11 items corresponding to the areas of care proposed by the Dynamic Model of Family Assessment and Intervention (MDAIF) was administered. Each item consists of 7 optional responses; a score equal to or greater than 4 denotes competence. RESULTS: The nurses perceived themselves as competent in areas of care belonging to the development dimension of the MDAIF (parental role, adaptation to pregnancy, and family planning), as well as in the caregiver role (which belongs to the functional dimension). There was a progressive decline in self-perception of competence over the stages of the nursing process. CONCLUSION: In this study, crucial aspects related to nurses’ self-perception of their competence in family assessment and intervention were observed, and need to be addressed in the training of nurses in all areas of care included in the Model. This should facilitate awareness of the competences needed to provide the best care for families.