Assess the Utilization of Fluid Balances Charts at St. Lukes Mission Hospital, Rufunsa District of Lusaka Province, Zambia

Fluid balance chart monitoring and recording, though regarded as one of the most significant fluid intake and output control measure for prevention of dehydration and over hydration, adherence rate to the correct, appropriate and accurate fluid intake and output monitoring still pose a great challenge among nurses. The aim of the study is to assess the Utilization of Fluid Balance Charts by Nurses at St Lukes’ Mission Hospital – Mpanshya in Rufunsa District, Lusaka Province of Zambia. The reason for choosing the topic was after noting that some of the fluid balance charts in the patients’ files where incorrectly, incompletely and inaccurately documented by nurses, as evidenced by 58% of the `sampled fluid balance charts on 30 patients’ files which were not filled and wrongly recorded. The main objective of the study however, is to assess the nurses’ knowledge and attitude towards utilization of fluid balance charts. The major hypotheses are (a) there is a relationship between attitude and the utilization of fluid balance charts.(b) there is a relationship between knowledge and the utilization of fluid balance charts. Factors that where associated with the use of fluid balance charts where categorized into knowledge, service related factors, socio – cultural and economic factors. A non- experimental descriptive study design will be used to evenly select a sample of 50 nurses,mainly enrolled nurses, enrolled midwives, Registered Nurses, Registered Midwives ,Operating Theatre Nurses and Graduate Nurses with BSCs and Masters. The study shall be conducted in eight departments at St. Lukes Mission Hospital which includes ;- Medical wards, Surgical wards, Labour ward, Theatre, Children ward, Hospice ,Nutritional and TB Isolation wards which has nurses who are required to record,document,monitor and report on the fluid balance chart. Data will be collected using a self administered questionnaire over a period of 4 weeks .Data will be analyzed with the aid of statistical package for social science version 16.0. Dissemination of findings will involve the measures that will be undertaken to make known to the relevant authorities and the study participants that the study will measure. Furthermore, the study is intended to be disseminated by making copies of the study document and send them to programme and policy decision makers. Full copies of the study will be distributed to the department of Nursing Sciences of the Texila American University. Executive summaries will be distributed to the Ministry of Health, Provincial health Office-Lusaka, Rufunsa Medical Office and St.Lukes Mission Hospital and Nursing and Midwifery Schools-Mpanshya. Furthermore, the researcher intends to disseminate findings in meetings Conferences and seminars which will be held in the district during District Integrated Meetings and also during provincial clinical review meetings which take place quarterly and other nursing Summits locally and internationally.