Naomi Bullard

Abstract

This study was concerned with finding out how much nursing personnel know about identifying signs of increased intracranial pressure and what understanding they have regarding the importance of prompt reporting of these signs.

A statement was prepared describing what the registered nurse, the license vocational nurse and the nursing assistant should know. This was validated by a panel of experts.

A two part questionnaire was developed from this statement. Part I asked for an essay response regarding the definition, causes, signs and symptoms and the nurse responsibility in intracranial pressure. Part II presented situations to which best answers were to be selected: these situations were centered around the same areas as in Part I.

A total of 141 nursing personnel who were nursing neurological patients participated in the study. One hundred and three returned the questionnaire. Sixty six of these were useable: 30 registered nurses, 7 license vocational nurses and 28 nursing assistants.

In general all group scored below 75 percent of the possible points for each question which was established as the passing grade of safe functioning level for the purpose of this study. In Part I, there were two mean scores made above 75 percent level. The Registered Nurse scored 94 percent on the question of what should the nurse do, while the Licensed Vocational Nurses scored 82 percent. In Part II, the Licensed Vocational Nurses scored 80 percent on the question which dealt with signs and symptoms, scoring above the Registered Nurses in this respect. Sixty-eight percent of the respondents recognized a need for more instruction regarding increased intracranial pressure.

It was concluded that while nurses do understand the need for prompt reporting of signs of intracranial pressure, the great majority do not have adequate knowledge nor a clear understanding of increased intracranial pressure, its causes, and identifying signs.

LLU Discipline

Nursing

Department

Nursing

School

Graduate School

First Advisor

R. Maureen Maxwell

Second Advisor

Matilda Anabelle Mills

Third Advisor

Cyril Brian Courville

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Degree Level

M.S.

Year Degree Awarded

1967

Date (Title Page)

6-1967

Language

English

Library of Congress/MESH Subject Headings

Intracranial Pressure; Nursing Care

Type

Thesis

Page Count

vi; 107

Digital Format

PDF

Digital Publisher

Loma Linda University Libraries

Usage Rights

This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Collection

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Collection Website

http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/

Repository

Loma Linda University. Del E. Webb Memorial Library. University Archives

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