Difficulties and facilities pointed out by nurses of a university hospital when applying the nursing process

Objective: To identify the difficult and easy aspects of performing the different stages of the nursing process, according to the reports of nurses working at Hospital Sao Paulo. Methods: Eighty-three nurses from 20 different hospital units, where the nursing process was regularly implemented, answered structured research questionnaires. Results: Nursing diagnosis and evolution were the phases where nurses reported more difficulties. Most of the difficult and easy points reported are related to the nurses' theoretical and practical knowledge to perform the phases of the process. Conclusion: Insufficient knowledge becomes an obstacle for the nurses' compliance to the nursing process. An evaluation of theoretical and practical teaching of the nursing process during undergraduate courses is recommended, as well as continuous education in hospital settings.