Knowledge, attitude, and adherence of nurses to ethico-legal standards in nursing practice at Capiz Emmanuel Hospital

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the level of knowledge, attitude towards, and adherence to the ethico-legal standards in nursing practice, of the nurses of Capiz Emmanuel Hospital determine the relstionship between their personal characteristics and their level of knowledge, attitude towards, and adherence to the ethico-legal standards in nursing practice, and between knowledge attitude towards the ethico-legal standards, knowledge and adherence to the ethico-legal standards, and attitude towards and adherence to the ethico-legal standards.

This is a descriptive-relational study. The study population consisted of 84 registered nurses employed at the Capiz Emmanuel Hospital at the time of the study. A survey questionnaire, designed, validated and pre-tested for reliability was used to gather the needed data. Frequency distribution and means were used to analyze descriptive data. The gamma and chi-square tests were used to test the significance of relationships between variables at 0.05 level.

Finding of the Study

Respondents were found to be young with mean age of 29.8 years. Majority of them were female and half were single. A great majority were holders of a bachelor degree only a few of them having earned masteral units. Most of them were employed on a regular status and only 26.2 percent were relievers. Most of them were staff nurses, and more than half of them have served the hospital for less than two years.

Respondents’ level of knowledge of ethico-legal standards was high, their attitude towards it was favorable and their adherence to the standards was also high.

Respondents’ civil status and length of service in the hospital were found to be significantly related to their level of knowledge of the ethico-legal standards in nursing practice. However, their age, sex, employment status, educational attainment, and position occupied were not. Not one of the respondents’ personal profiles was found to be significantly related to their level of adherence to the ethico-legal standards in nursing practice.

The study also found no significant relationship between the respondents’ knowledge of, and attitude towards ethico-legal standards in nursing practice. Likewise, no significant relationship was also found between knowledge and adherence and between attitude and adherence to the ethico-legal standards in nuring practice.