Perceived Determinants of Willingness to Implement Task Shifting of Nursing Procedures in Selected Healthcare Institutions, Ilorin

Abstract

Background: Task shifting allows for re-organization of workforce along with expanded training which encourages the healthcare system. The implementation of nursing task shifting allows nurses to efficiently use the existing workforce and ease bottle necks in healthcare service delivery among limited workforce capacity. Purpose: This study assesses the determinants of willingness of nurses to implement task shifting of nursing procedures in selected health care institutions in Ilorin, Nigeria. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional research design was adopted using multi-stage sampling technique to select 250 nurses for this study. Ethical approval was obtained from the studied institutions and informed consent was given by nurses prior to data collection. The reliability of the instrument was ascertained by test-retest of the instrument, and the study results were analyzed using SPSS version 25, and the study was carried out at 0.05 level of significance. Results: The findings revealed that 94% of nurses have knowledge about task shifting, 64% of nurses observed that task shifting brings about effective nursing care, and 49% of them are willing to implement task shifting for some nursing procedures to lower cadres. Conclusion: This study concluded that hospital policy, work overload on junior nurses, poor supervision, and shortage of nursing staff are determinants of task shifting of nursing procedures in the institutions studied. Implications for Nursing: The study shows a statistical association between nurses’ knowledge about determinants, willingness to implement task shifting and effective nursing care outcomes. The authors recommend policy reforms, training programs, and workload management strategies to facilitate task shifting in health institutions for effective nursing care outputs.