Knowledge of Pakistani Nurses about Theory-Practice Gap in Nursing

Abstract

ntroduction: Nursing consists of two main basic components: theory and practice. The main goal of nursing education is to generate competent, skilled, and knowledgeable nurses. Most importantly, nursing is a profession where the practical experience of nurses plays a pivotal role; the clinical education of nurses holds significant importance in nursing training. Research Objective: To assess to knowledge of Pakistani Nurses about Theory Practice Gap in Nursing at public and private Institutions. Methods and Material: A cross-sectional study was conducted was conducted at different public and private nursing institutions of Sindh. Target Population: All nursing instructor and clinical instructor were part of this study. Sampling Technique: A convenient sampling technique was used for this study during the data collection. Sample Size: Sample size was calculated through Rao-soft sample size calculator, after putting the values, by keeping 95% confidence interval, 5%margin error, the obtained sample size was n=188. Data Collection Procedure: Data was collected after the distribution of consent form among the participants. A self-developed questionnaire was distribute among the participants to assess the knowledge regarding the theory practice. Data Analysis: The mean and standard deviation were used for quantitative variables, while frequency and percentage were used for categorical variables. Results: A total of n=188 sample size were considered in this study, in which almost 66% of the study participants were having age from 21-30. 25% participants were having age from 31-40 years. Moreover, according to demographic variables, this study was consisted of 47% male, and 53% female. In addition to it, according to designation of participants 46.8% were clinical instructor and only 30.2% participants were nursing instructor, and 22.8% were staff nurses. Furthermore, according to awareness of theory and practice gap, n=98(52%) were well aware from the theory-practice gap, only 18.6% were having low Awareness regarding theory-practice gap. In addition to it, according to potential causes of theory-practice gap most of participants n=112 (59.5%) thought that the rapidly changing tech including nursing technology and procedures evolve faster than curricula can be updated) were the potential cause of theory-practice gap (Mean 0.39, SD±0.48).  Conclusion: Awareness of the theory-practice gap is sufficient among participants; active efforts are needed to address it. Effective collaboration, enhanced knowledge acquisition, ongoing education, regular curriculum updates, and integrating evidence-based practices into learning are essential to minimize current gaps. 

Keywords: Theory-Practice Gap, Knowledge, Nurse, Educators, Private and Government Institute