Browsing by Author "Karuga, Njoroge"

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    Experiences of Professional Autonomy among Nurses in a Critical Care Unit in Nyeri County, Kenya
    (Kenyatta University, 2023-11) Karuga, Njoroge
    Practicing autonomy provides an avenue for nurses to showcase their knowledge and incorporate it in their practice. The resultant effect is the improvement in the quality of care delivered to patients including reduced mortality in a resource limited institution. However, little is known about the critical care nurses' perceptions of their professional autonomy in rural areas. The objective of the study was to explore the perceptions, facilitators and barriers of professional autonomy among critical care nurses in a rural hospital, Kenya. The hermeneutic phenomenological study design was used in this study. Data were collected in a critical care unit using a semi-structured interview guide. A sample of 10 participants were recruited. The study was conducted in Nyeri County Referral Hospital. Themes from the study on the nurses' experiences of professional autonomy are based on the perceptions of autonomy; facilitators of autonomy; and barriers to autonomy. Facilitators and barriers to professional autonomy are dependent on the context under study. Facilitators of autonomy such as collaboration, support from administration acted as promotional factors for professional autonomy among critical care Nurses. Autonomy as a key ingredient in upholding one's professional status was not acknowledged. Perceptions, facilitators and barriers to professional autonomy forms the background of the current professional status. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by highlighting the experience of professional autonomy among critical care nurses in context-based institutions. Nurses therefore exercise autonomy effectively when it aligns with the needs of patient care and when it is supported by a conducive environment.