Determining professional nurses' knowledge on the performance management and development system in Tshwane.

BACKGROUND The implementation of the Performance Management and Development System (PMDS) is seen as being vital to the quality of care, resource management and inter-professional work. However, there is evidence that, at present, professional nurses lack the knowledge to implement such a system. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to explore and describe professional nurses' knowledge regarding the implementation of the PMDS in selected primary healthcare clinics in Tshwane. METHOD A quantitative, descriptive, exploratory design was used and convenience sampling was used to recruit respondents. A self-administered structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 39 professional nurses who were involved in managing the work performance of employees. The data were analysed quantitatively with Statistical Analysis System version 8.2 software. RESULTS The respondents had limited knowledge about the implementation of the performance management and development system. CONCLUSION There is a need for educational initiatives before, during and after the implementation of the PMDS, such as quarterly PMDS workshops and routine catch-up training. These would address the lack of knowledge of respondents as seen from the results.