The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #69935

Mary Agnes Kendra, PhD, RN, College of Nursing, University of Akron, 209 Carroll Street, Akron, OH 44325-3701, 330-972-7559, NurseKendra@aol.com and Valerie D. George, PhD, RN, Department of Nursing, Cleveland State University, 1816 Euclid Avenue, Rhodes Tower 923, Cleveland, OH 44115.

The purpose of this presentation is to describe the perception of risk by public health nurses (fieldworkers)in Uganda which is an extensionof a national study of public health nurses (fieldworkers) in the United States. The aim of this study is to compare and contrast the extent to which nurses in Uganda and the United States perceive similar risk factors in the process of home visiting. It is important to determine 1) whether the environments are similar in terms of willingness to expose oneslef to risk, 2) how fieldworkers protect themselves from harm, 3) what consequences for the agency/fieldworker in terms of refusing visits, and 4) potential threats to safety. Determing how Uganda fieldworkers respond under these circumstances is important in terms of identifying what risk factors they perceive, and the extent to which they are the same or different from those in the United States. Outcomes from this study enhances nursing's body of knowledge regarding risk in home visiting. A nonexperimental, descriptive correlational design was used. The target population included Uganda public health nurses. Focus groups were formed to review questions on the Perception of Risk Survey used with fieldworkers in the United States. The revised survey was administered to a sample of nurses in Uganda. Findings will be presented within the context of understanding cross-cultural similarities and differences between nurses in both countries.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify similarities and differences in perception of risk between public health nurses in Uganda and the United States.
• Identify similarities and differences in methods of minimizing risk between public health nurses in Uganda and the United States.

Keywords: Public Health Nursing, Cultural Competency

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.