Relationships between selected personality variables and performance of a sterile procedure

The purpose of the study was to determine if relationships could be shown to exist between certain personality variables and measures of contamination. The importance of correct application of principles and practices in nursing has been emphasized recently by studies showing that post-admission infections in hospitals accounts for thousands of deaths each year. The ability to apply aseptic principles is essential to good nursing, as in the possession of certain personality traits. The determination of relationships between application of aseptic principles and personality variables would be ultimately useful for predicting success in nursing. The personal Orientation Inventory, an assessment of the healthy personality, has become widely used as a measure of Self-Actualization. Self-Actualization is defined as utilizing unique capabilities, functioning autonomously, living in the present, and having a benevolent outlook on life. The foregoing attributes are compatible with a help profession such as nursing. The POI was administered to 61 nursing student to determine if certain of the variables assessed by the inventory were related to student's ability to perform procedures involving the use of sterile technique. The procedure of scrubbing, gowning, and gloving was used to determine whether or not the students could apply successfully the principles and practices of asepsis. A checklist of the lengthy, step-wise procedure was devised, and infractions noted, while students scrubbed in preparation for surgery. The scores from the checklist and the scores if the POI were examined individually then correlated, using Person Product-Moment Correlations. The mean number of infractions on the performance of a sterile procedure was 4.62 out of a total of 31 items. The largest number of infractions was in the category of gloving. The nursing students in the study were within the normal limits of 40 to 60 percent on the general profile of the POI. They were shown to be independent, sensitive to their own needs, had high self-regard, and were synergistic. The nursing students were able to establish warm interpersonal relationships and viewed man as essentially good. They were less flexible in application of values and had more difficulty accepting their own weaknesses than the average profile, but were still within normal limits. The three hypothesis proposing relationships between the Spontaneity, Synergy, and Self-regard sub-scales of the POI with the total score on the Sterile Procedure Checklist were supported by the study with significant negative correlations shown (p<.01). Determining relationships between personality traits and ability to apply aseptic principles could be useful in predicting success in nursing and uncovering potential problem areas. Adequate counseling and supervision could then be provided to assist the student in achieving success.