NURSES’ OPINIONS ON SELF-EVALUATION OF THEIR KNOWLEDGE ABOUT HEALTH ISSUES AND PATIENTS’ HEALTH EDUCATION

Summary The aim of the study was to assess nurses’ opinions on self-evaluation of their knowledge about health issues and patients’ health education. For the survey an anonymous questionnaire was elaborated. The study included all nurses working on that day in general medicine and surgical wards. 436 questionnaires were distributed, 388 were returned (response rate, 89.0%). Results showed that three-quarters (76,6%) of nurses noted that they have only partly enough knowledge for patients’ health education. Nurses with university education rated their knowledge better than nurses with college education. More than half (69,5%) of nurses evaluated their knowledge of healthy lifestyle and diseases prevention as good, however a part of them did not know the criteria for detection of risk factors for major noncommunicable diseases. Nurses at university hospitals had more knowledge of healthy lifestyle. According to the opinions of more than half of nurses, patients’ health education in health care institutions should be individual, the information should be provided both orally and in writing (82,3%) and patients should be educated about healthy lifestyle by physicians, nurses and health educators together (83,0%).