Abstract

Purpose: This study examined ward nurses' knowledge regarding the importance of nutritional assessment, their knowledge and perceived quality of nutrition care provided in their wards. Design: The study was a quantitative correlational study performed in a university-affiliated, teaching hospital. Methods:Data were collected via paper-and-pencil questionnaire from 415 nurses and analyzed by frequencies, means and Pearson correlations. Independent t-tests, one-way ANOVA and stepwise multiple linear regression were performed to determine predictors of nurses' responses. Findings:Most nurses appreciated the importance of nutritional assessment and recognized common misconceptions of nutrition care. Factors associated with lower scores on these variables included male gender, type of department (internal medicine) and country of origin (trained in the former USSR). Nurses specifically and recently trained in nutrition care scored higher and perceived the care in their department as better than nurses without such training. Conclusions:These findings highlight the importance of specific training in forging positive attitudes and improving knowledge regarding nutrition. Further studies are required to assess whether this is translated into improved nutritional delivery at the bedside. Relevance to clinical practice: These findings suggest that additional education is required to encourage nursing staff to move nutrition from theory to the bedside. Factors associated with lower scores should be identified and used to devise focused interventions.

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