Technological Competence as Caring and Clinical Decision – Making Skills among ICU Staff Nurses
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Jofred M. Martinez, RN, MAN
Abstract
The purpose of this descriptive-correlational study was to determine the level of technological competence as caring skill and its relation to the clinical decision- making skills among ICU staff nurses. 129 ICU staff nurses in selected hospitals in Panay Island participated in this study. Ethics review and approval from the West Visayas State University’s Unified Bio-Medical Research and Ethics Review Committee were acquired prior to the conduct of the study. Data-gathering utilized both the Technological Caring in Nursing Instrument, as well as, the researcher’s modified Clinical Decision–Making in Nursing Inventory. Findings of the study revealed that the ICU staff nurses not only have “very high” level of technological competence as caring skill but also have a “high” level of clinical decision–making skill. It was also evident that ICU staff nurses in Panay Island have been integrating technological caring with technological knowing as a collective expression of care in professional nursing. Finally, this study manifested that technological competence of caring in nursing does not guarantee high level clinical decision–making skills among ICU staff nurses in Panay Island.
Keywords: technological competence, clinical decision-making, caring in nursing, technological caring, technological knowing
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About the Author
Jofred M. Martinez, MAN, RN received his Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at West Visayas State University and his Masters of Arts in Nursing –Nursing Education Administration at the University of San Agustin, Iloilo City. Currently, he is a program manager in the Department of Education – Health and Nutrition Section in the Division of Antique. His research interests are caring behaviors of nurses, technology use in nursing, health and nutritional status of school-aged children and emergency and disaster nursing. He is also a lecturer/reviewer for the Philippine Licensure Exam for Nurses in Western Visayas.