Emergency Nurses' Core Competencies in the Management of Critically Ill Patients in Emergency Departments

Komsan, Fayza Ahmed Abdou Mohammed; Abd Elbaky, Marwa Mohammad; Abouzied, Warda Ramadan; Ahmed, Naglaa Ahmed

doi:10.21608/tsnj.2023.307370

Emergency Nurses' Core Competencies in the Management of Critically Ill Patients in Emergency Departments

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Assistant professor, Critical Care and Emergency Nursing, Assuit University, Faculty of Nursing, Egypt

² Assistant professor, Medical surgical Nursing, Minia University, Faculty of Nursing, Egypt

³ Lecturer, Critical Care and Emergency Nursing, South Valley University, Faculty of Nursing, Egypt

10.21608/tsnj.2023.307370

Abstract

Background: Critical responsibilities for emergency nurses require a diverse set of skills,
which is called competence. Competence includes the desire to show prospective personality
traits that can be advantageous in specific situations. Aim: Assess emergency nurses’ core
competencies in the management of critically ill patients in the emergency department.
Subjects and Method: Design: A descriptive research design was conducted in the
Emergency Department of General Qena Hospital and Emergency University Hospital,
Egypt. Subjects: A convenience sampling of 70 emergency nurses was recruited to provide
direct care for critically ill patients. Tools: three tools used in the study: 1. Core competences
of clinical skills and knowledge for emergency nurses. 2. Core competences of
communication and teamwork skills for emergency nurses. 3. Core competences of
professional development, organization awareness, research, and quality improvement for
emergency nurses. Results: The emergency nurses’ core competencies during respiratory
care were 75.14% from General Qena Hospital and 80.36% from the emergency University
Hospital. The emergency nurses' core competencies in cardiovascular care were 71.45% from
General Qena Hospital and 88.36% from Emergency University Hospital. There were
statistically significant differences among the studied nurses from both hospitals in the
majority of items. The levels of core competence criteria for emergency nurses were 45.7% in
the general Qena hospital but 17.1% in the emergency university hospital. However, the level
of core competencies for emergency nurses was good at 45.7% in the general Qena hospital
and 80% in the Emergency University Hospital. Conclusion: Competency can be used as the
cornerstone for evaluating critical nurses’ performance. Core competence should be used as a
vital tool to evaluate nurses’ levels of performance and patient satisfaction.