Performance Assessment Practices: The Role the Nurse Managers at a Teaching Hospital in Ghana

Background: Performance assessment within the health care system ensure that Nurse Managers are able to gain insight into the professional competence of nurses and develop their potentials. This study examines the performance assessment practices of nurse managers at a Teaching Hospital in Sub-Saharan Africa from the nurses’ perspective.Methods: The study collected data from 341 nurses using a structured questionnaire. The nurses were proportionately sampled from the 12 sub-Budget Management Centers of the Teaching Hospital using a stratified sampling technique. Both descriptive analysis and multiple regression analysis were employed to analyze the data.Results: It was found that the overall performance assessment practices were above average and most of the nurses were satisfied with the existing practices. Comparing the performance of nurses against performance objectives set at the beginning of the year were the most frequent performance assessment practices. Furthermore, the significant and positive predictors of performance assessment practices were Nurse Managers’ training in performance management and interpersonal relationship between Nurse Managers, and nurses. However, Performance Assessment Practices are challenged with irregular or infrequent Performance Assessment Practices, Nurse Managers’ subjectivity bias and nurses’ contemplation of the process as stressful with too much paperwork which burdens the Nurse Managers.Conclusion: The findings from this study showed that the performance assessment practices of Nurse Managers were above average. Therefore, the existing Performance Management system should be revisited, and Nurse Managers should be equipped with the necessary skills through periodic in-service training, and resources.