Ndirangu Eunice Wambui, Sarki Ahmed Mohammed, Mbekenga Columba, Edwards Grace
School of Nursing and Midwifery, Aga Khan University, Wangiapalla Road, P.O. Box 39349, Nairobi, 00623, Kenya.
Nursing Council of Kenya, Kilmani, Kabarnet Rd, Nairobi, Kenya.
BMC Nurs. 2021 Mar 6;20(1):37. doi: 10.1186/s12912-020-00531-w.
Evidence suggests that there is a negative image of nursing and midwifery that does not promote these professions as attractive career options. Furthermore, there is a paucity of studies documenting how nursing and midwifery is perceived in East Africa and where such studies exist they are country-specific. The aim of this study was to explore views regarding the image of nursing and midwifery among nurses and midwives in three East African countries, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
An exploratory descriptive cross-sectional study administered online using Survey Monkey Questionnaires assessed the views and perceptions of nurses and midwives regarding the image of nursing and midwifery professions. Descriptive statistics and Pearson's Chi square tests were used to analyse the data. The semi-structured questions were analysed using content analysis.
A total of 551 participants took part in the study. The majority were females (61.8%), registered nurses/midwives (45.8%), and aged 30-39 years (34.2%). Most of the respondents were from Kenya (39.7%) and Uganda (32.9%). About two-thirds of the nurses and midwives in this study perceived nursing/midwifery as both trusted and respected professions and expressed having a level of control over how their image was portrayed. Conversely, the nurses and midwives were conscious that the public had mixed responses about the nursing/midwifery professions specifically, some members of the public described nurses/midwives as professionals, knowledgeable and caring, others perceived nurses/midwives to be rude, cruel, unkind, lazy, unkempt, and maids.
This study offers an interesting insight about the image of nursing/midwifery in East Africa. Findings from this study will inform policy makers and educators about key concepts that affect the image of nursing and midwifery in East Africa. The findings will be used to design marketing materials to help improve the image of nursing and midwifery in the region and other African countries.
有证据表明，护理和助产存在负面形象，这使得这些职业难以成为有吸引力的职业选择。此外，记录东非地区对护理和助产职业看法的研究很少，即便有此类研究，也都是针对特定国家的。本研究的目的是探讨肯尼亚、坦桑尼亚和乌干达这三个东非国家的护士和助产士对护理和助产职业形象的看法。
采用探索性描述性横断面研究，通过在线使用Survey Monkey问卷，评估护士和助产士对护理和助产职业形象的看法和认知。使用描述性统计和Pearson卡方检验分析数据。采用内容分析法分析半结构化问题。
共有551名参与者参与了该研究。大多数为女性（61.8%）、注册护士/助产士（45.8%），年龄在30 - 39岁之间（34.2%）。大多数受访者来自肯尼亚（39.7%）和乌干达（32.9%）。本研究中约三分之二的护士和助产士认为护理/助产是受信任和尊重的职业，并表示对自身形象的塑造有一定的掌控权。相反，护士和助产士意识到公众对护理/助产职业的反应不一，一些公众将护士/助产士描述为专业、知识渊博且有爱心的人，而另一些人则认为护士/助产士粗鲁、残忍、不友善、懒惰、邋遢且只是女仆。
本研究为东非地区护理/助产职业形象提供了有趣的见解。本研究结果将告知政策制定者和教育工作者有关影响东非地区护理和助产职业形象的关键概念。这些结果将用于设计营销材料，以帮助改善该地区及其他非洲国家护理和助产职业的形象。
