Nurses' wound care competency in a sample of hospitals in Northern Vietnam

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to investigate the current situation regarding wound care by nurses in eight hospitals in the north of Vietnam, in order to plan the training for nurses to enable them to achieve the National Basic Competency Standards for Nurses. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive prospective study was conducted from June 2020 to October 2020, with nurses in eight hospitals in four provinces of Northern Vietnam – Hanoi, Quang Ninh, Thai Nguyen and Bac Ninh. Data were collected based on a checklist of direct observation of nurses who provide wound care. The two main indicators were the knowledge score and the practical capacity/competence of the nurses in wound care. Results: A total of 518 nurses participated in the study, the mean age was 32.25±7.31; with 438 (84.6%) being female. Clinical experience of less than 10 years was reported by 63.6%; college education level (diploma) was reported by 58.1%, university level by 28.2%; and post-university level by 4%. The highest mean scores for knowledge were found in the categories of health education for patients, followed by care of clean wounds, communication skills and team work, management and professional development and pressure ulcer wound care. Under the practice domain the highest mean scores were ability to plan wound care, followed by self-evaluation, identification of wound types and implementation of wound care plans. Conclusions and recommendations: The results showed that when judged against the competency standards, nurses' level of wound care competency needs to be improved. Also that there is a distinct theory–practice gap, which must be addressed. It is recommended that hospitals should conduct training for all nurses using the basic competency standards for Vietnamese nurses to improve the quality of care.