[Implanting the nursing process].

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: One of the basic events which has made an impact on the advance of the Nursing profession has been the introduction of the Nursing Process as a scientific method; however, this topic is still very controversial. The authors have carried out a study throughout Spain which compiles data regarding the number of Primary Health Centers which use the Nursing Process as well as how many nurses use this method. METHODOLOGY: An analytic study using Primary Heath Centers throughout Spain chosen by means of a systematic sampling method having a 95% confidence level on a total of 500 health centers. RESULTS: 43% of these centers apply this nursing method. 33% of nurses apply this process. COMMENTS: An important number of health centers and nurses who work in primary health care use this nursing process, but this same data indicate that an even higher number of nurses do not use this method. Another statistic to bear in mind is that in those centers where professional development classes in this methodology have been set up, almost double the number of nurses use this process than in centers where there have been no such classes.