Abstract:
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Genetics has a primary role in providing nurses with the ability to know their patients in every respect including preventive and therapeutic care, to diagnose symptoms of existing diseases, and to determine treatment processes and genetic diseases which may occur in future generations. This study was conducted to determine the genetic knowledge levels of oncology and chemotherapy nurses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The sample of this study was composed of 101 nurses who were working in oncology and chemotherapy units. This descriptive study was conducted between September 2018 and March 2019. The Socio-demographic and Nurses' Characteristics About Genetics Data form and Genetic Knowledge test were used as the data collection tools in this study. RESULTS: The mean score obtained by the nurses from their answers to those questions relating to the contents about the genetic concepts was 5.01 +/- 2.75; the mean score they obtained from their answers to those questions about general genetic information was 7.43 +/- 1.88; and the total genetic knowledge mean score was 12.43 +/- 3.78. No effect of the characteristics of the nurses relating to genetic science on their genetic knowledge levels was determined (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: It was observed that the genetic knowledge levels of the nurses working in the oncology and chemotherapy units were moderate. However, the nurses cared about developments in genetics and they were ready to provide the correct, appropriate and up-to-date genetic and genomic information, resources, services and/or technologies to their patients.
