INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Zaria is an old walled town probably founded in about 1536 later in the

century it became the capital of the Hausa state of Zazzau. Both town

and state were named for Queen Zaria (Late 16 th century) younger

sister and successor of Zazzau’s ruler Queen Amina (Smith M. G.:

Government in Zazzau 1800-1950).

Zaria is a major city in Kaduna state in northern Nigeria with an

estimated population of 1018827 people. Human settlement predates

the rise of Zazzau as the region like a few of its neighbors had a history

of sedentary Hausa settlements with institutional but pre-capitalist

market exchange and farming. Islam arrived Zaria by the way of its

sister Habe cities Kano and Katsina. Between the fifteenth and

sixteenth century the Kingdom became a tributary state of Songhai

Empire. In 1805 it was captured by the Fulani during the Jihad. British

forces led by Frederic Lugard took the city in 1901.

Geographically Zaria is found on the Kubanni river (a tributary of

Kaduna river). The following are areas in Zaria: Samaru Tudun Wada

Sabon Gari Zaria-city PZ Kongo GRA-Zaria Tukur-Tukur Wusasa

Hanwa and Shika. Zaria’s economy is primarily agricultural. It has both

road and rail access to all major cities in Nigeria. Zaria is home to

Ahmadu Bello University the largest in Nigeria and second largest in

Africa. An institution that is prominent in the fields of Agriculture

Science Finance Medicine and Law (The World Gazetteer retrieved

2007).

Kofar Gayan is one of the eight notable city gates of Zaria city. The

other seven being Kofar Doka Kofar Kibo Kofar Jatau Kofar

Kuyambana Kofar Kona Kofar Galadima and Kwarbai. These gates

are found on the city walls that originally surround it but now it has

largely collapsed (Wikipedia.org 2010).

Situated on the southern part of the city Kofar Gayan historically is

important being the gate through which the Queen in ancient times

moves out to war. It is also believed that this gate bears its name in

connection to a village called Gayan in present day Igabi local

government area. A place full of hills where the war troupes rest a times

(The Britannica Encyclopedia 2007).

Hajiya Gambo Sawaba General Hospital is a secondary health facility

situated in Kofan Gayan Zaria city. The hospital was first commissioned

as Zaria Health Centre in 1975 by the then Governor of Kano state

Commissioner of Police Audu Bako. It was however upgraded to a

General Hospital around 1978. It continued to expand and develop

serving the purpose for which it was set up. In 1994 it was renovated

and recomissioned by Colonel Lawal Jafaru Isah the then Military

Administrator of Kaduna state. At this re-commissioning it was named

Hajiya Gambo Sawaba General Hospital Kofan Gayan Zaria in respect

of the veteran woman politician; now of blessed memory (Bature 1994).

According to Mu’azu (2007) Hajiya Gambo Sawaba General Hospital

has eight wards 3 departments a twin theatre 4 units an ICAP clinic

and a vesico vaginal fistula centre. This has positioned it as the biggest

secondary health facility with villages and towns from neighbouring

LGAs such as Soba Kudan Makarfi Giwa and Igabi as its catchment

areas. It also serve as an Annexed practical training centre for student

nurses and medical students from Ahmadu Bello University Teaching

Hospital Zaria.

Based on its location and nature in relation to the teaching hospital it is

often referred to by most people as the hospital for the masses.

A profession is made unique through its body of knowledge with which

its members discharge their duties (Orem 2002). Nursing is both a

science and an art concerned with the physical psychological

sociological cultural and spiritual concerns of the individual. The

science is based on a broad theoretical framework while the art depends

on the caring skills and abilities of the individual nurse (ANA 1980).

Years ago nurses leaders developed a problem-solving process

consisting of 3 steps – assessment planning and evaluation – patterned

after the scientific method of observing measuring gathering data and

analyzing findings. This method introduced in the 1950s was called

Nursing Process: Shore (1988) as quoted in Doenges (2003) described

the Nursing Process as combining the most desirable elements of the art

of nursing with the most relevant elements of system theory using

scientific method.

Nursing Process is a systematic client centred method for structuring

the delivery of nursing care. It entails gathering and analyzing data in

order to identify client’s strengths and potential or actual health problems

and developing and continually reviewing a plan of nursing interventions

to achieve mutually agreed outcomes. At every stage of the process

the nurse work closely with the client to individualize care and build a

relationship of mutual regard and trust (Shatell 2004). The nursing

process has five components that are cyclical or in a logical sequence.

These includes Assessing Diagnosing Planning Implementing and

Evaluating.

Implementation of the nursing process implies putting into practice all the

phases of the process in giving attention to the patient Kode (1998) in

Hunkuyi (2003). Man materials and money are the basic requirements

for implementing the nursing process in the hospital (NWNP 1992).

Laoye (1998) in Hunkuyi (2003) also stated that certain environmental

variables can affect implementation of innovation.

For nursing process to be implemented nurses must posses abilities

such as: Intellectual skills Problem solving skills and Interpersonal

relationship skills. Moreover Taylor et al (1989) and Watson (1997) as

quoted in Bermann (2008) explained that paper computer and mind

approaches are strategies for implementation of the nursing process.

While Fride (1983) Olawoye (1984) Milne (1985) and Kode (1998) in

Basavanthapa (2004) stated at various occasions that inadequate

knowledge and skill need for extra facilities and attitude of nurses to

nursing process are some problems associated with implementation of

the process.

Assessment of the implementation of the nursing process refers to a

judgment about the provision of holistic individualized care based on an

understanding of the situation on ground.

Kozier & Erb (2008) in Bermann (2008) describes assessment as the

systematic and continuous collection organization and documentation of

information about the carrying out of nursing care according to pattern.

Assessment of implementation of the nursing process can be any of

these four that is initial Problem focused emergency or time-lapsed

reassessment.

Statement of the Problem

The current situation of poor implementation of the nursing process in

Hajiya Gambo Sawaba general Hospital Kofan Gayan Zaria where less

scientific methods of care and more of generalized methods are used is

a cause for concern (Quality Assurance Committee 2009). Ideally

nurses are supposed to provide to all clients a bio-psychosocial care that

is a unique responsibility to a dimension of treatment and diagnosis of

human responses to actual and potential health problems (ANA 1980).

The problem of this study therefore is how could the implementation of

the nursing process in Hajiya Gambo Sawaba general Hospital Kofan

Gayan Zaria be assessed?

Purpose of the Study

This project is aimed generally at assessing the implementation of the

nursing process in Hajiya Gambo Sawaba general Hospital Kofan

Gayan Zaria; and will specifically seek to:

1) Appraise the assessment phase of the nursing process in Hajiya

Gambo Sawaba general Hospital Kofan Gayan Zaria.

2) Assess the diagnosis stage of the nursing process in Hajiya

Gambo Sawaba general Hospital Kofan Gayan Zaria

3) Evaluate the planning step of the nursing process in Hajiya Gambo

Sawaba general Hospital Kofan Gayan Zaria.

4) Assess the implementation component of the nursing process in

Hajiya Gambo Sawaba general Hospital Kofan Gayan Zaria.

5) Assess the evaluation aspect of the nursing process in Hajiya

Gambo Sawaba general Hospital Kofan Gayan Zaria.

6) Suggest some measures to enhance implementation of the

nursing process in Hajiya Gambo Sawaba general Hospital Kofan

Gayan Zaria.

Significance of the Study

Nurses in HGSGH Kofan Gayan Zaria will benefit from this study by

becoming more knowledgeable of the concept of the Nursing Process.

The clients or patients are also beneficiaries as they will have more

individualized and wholistic care. The government will certainly benefit

by having a more productive workforce. The image of the nursing

profession will be raised through an increase to its body of knowledge.

Scope of the Study

This study is limited to assessing the assessment phase diagnosis

stage planning step implementation component and the evaluation

aspect of the nursing process in Hajiya Gambo Sawaba General

Hospital Kofan Gayan Zaria.

Research Questions

1) What is the extent of the implementation of the assessment phase

of the nursing process at Hajiya Gambo Sawaba General Hospital

Kofan Gayan Zaria?

2) What is the level of the implementation of the diagnosis stage of

the nursing process in Hajiya Gambo Sawaba General Hospital

Kofan Gayan Zaria?

3) To what degree is the planning step of the nursing process

implemented in Hajiya Gambo Sawaba General Hospital Kofan

Gayan Zaria?

4) To what magnitude is the implementation component of the

nursing process put to use in Hajiya Gambo Sawaba General

Hospital Kofan Gayan Zaria?

5) What is the level of the implementation of the evaluation step of

the nursing process in Hajiya Gambo Sawaba General Hospital

Kofan Gayan Zaria?

6) What are the measures that can enhance the full implementation

of the nursing process in Hajiya Gambo Sawaba General Hospital

Kofan Gayan Zaria?