ASSESSMENT OF SELF-CARE HABITS AMONG NURSE INTERNEES IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR HOSPITAL IN KP, PESHAWAR, A DESCRIPTIVE CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Background:

Nursing students frequently neglect the significance of self-care for their mental, emotional, and physical well-being, particularly in light of the demands of clinical, intellectual, and emotional training. Nursing students sometimes ignore their own health despite their vital position as patient caretakers due to the long hours, lack of institutional support, and pressures associated with the sector. Poor dietary habits, high levels of stress, and emotional exhaustion are common issues within this group, eventually leading to burnout syndrome and declining job satisfaction.

Objective:

The primary objective of this study was to assess the knowledge level of self-care habits among nursing internees in selected public and private hospitals of Peshawar.

Methods:

It utilized a non-probability convenient sampling technique with a quantitative descriptive cross-sectional study design encompassing 384 nursing internes. Data were collected from 6 hospitals in Peshawar, namely RMI, Northwest, HMC, KTH, NTH, and Kuwait Teaching Hospital. A structured, pre-validated questionnaire were used for data collection.

Results:

Out of 385 participants, 384 gave valid responses. Most of them were male (69.5%) and aged between 20-25 years (60.7%). Majority were single (65.6%) and had positive registration under internship training. The findings also showed divergence in self-care knowledge and habits. Stress and dietary pattern, however, emerged as key issues largely reported under emotional exhaustion, inconsistent eating habits, and poor work-life balance, highlighting clear gaps in self-care awareness and its implementation.

Conclusion:

Moderate knowledge and practices in self-care were reported among nursing internees. There should be institution policies and training programs that would hence promote self-care for nurses, either physically, emotionally, or psychologically. These gaps, when fulfilled by structured support systems, can improve not only the personal health of the nurse internee but also the quality of care that the patients receive.

Keywords: 

Self-care, Nursing intern, Stress, Dietary habits, Emotional well-being, Burnout, Cross-sectional study, Peshawar.