Abstract
The quality of nursing care is a fundamental component of healthcare performance and patient safety. In hospitals of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, various human, organizational, and material factors may influence the quality of nursing services. The General Referral Hospital of Malemba-Nkulu faces several challenges that may affect the effectiveness and safety of nursing care. To identify the human, organizational, and material factors influencing the quality of nursing care at the General Referral Hospital of Malemba-Nkulu. A descriptive and analytical quantitative study was conducted among 82 nurses working at the General Referral Hospital of Malemba-Nkulu. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Statistical analysis included frequencies, percentages, and the Chi-square test to determine associations between selected variables and the quality of nursing care. The findings revealed that 70.7% of respondents reported a shortage of nursing staff, 67.1% indicated insufficient medical equipment, and 68.3% considered administrative supervision of nursing care inadequate. Most nurses (64.6%) had not received continuing professional training, while 69.5% reported being unmotivated in their work. The main causes of demotivation were low salary (40.2%), workload overload (25.6%), lack of equipment (20.7%), and lack of professional recognition (13.5%). More than half of the participants (56.1%) reported poor compliance with nursing care protocols, and 62.2% indicated insufficient hygiene and handwashing supplies. Furthermore, 63.4% of respondents considered the overall quality of nursing care to be poor. Statistical analysis showed a significant association between staff shortage and poor quality of nursing care (p = 0.027), as well as between the lack of continuing professional training and nursing care deficiencies (p = 0.021). The quality of nursing care at the General Referral Hospital of Malemba-Nkulu is influenced by several human, organizational, and material factors. Staff shortages, lack of medical equipment, low staff motivation, absence of continuing professional training, and inadequate supervision of nursing care were identified as the main factors associated with poor nursing care quality;
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