The physical examination in nursing determined by the place of work

Aim
The aim of the study was to assess the usage of physical examinations in an everyday nursing practice, determined by the place of work.

Material and methods
A group of 171 nurses took part in the study in 2019. They were the participants of the course “The interview and physical examination”, the part of a project “Rising the qualifications of nursers and midwives” performed in six polish voivodeships. Nurses were surveyed by the proprietary questionnaire. The questionnaire included among others the question about the assessment of usefulness of physical examination in nurses’ job. It also included the declaration of performing the physical or it asked for used techniques as well as systems and organs the most checked up during examinations. The data was subjected to statistical the Chi-squared test.

Results
Nurses working at ZOL/ZOP/DPS (Care and treatment facility/Care and nursing facility/Social Welfare Home) were performing physical examination most frequently – 73.1%. It was 58.6% of such nurses working at treatment department, 50% at medical treatment ward and 63.2% at POZ (Primary Health Care).

Conclusions
Nurses, independently to the place of work claimed that the reason for not performing examinations was lack of time due to the other duties and due to the insufficient cadre. They also mentioned inspection as the technique the most frequently used. In this way, there is a need for constant cultivating competences of performing physical examinations among nurses.