Nurses' knowledge, experience and self-reported adherence to evidence-based guidelines for prevention of ventilator-associated events: A national online survey

Sustainability of a Pediatric Neurointensive Care Unit Model Within a Mixed Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and Its Effect on Nursing Sentiment

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Pediatric neurocritical care (PNCC) and pediatric neurointensive care units (neuro-PICU) are growing fields. Although some institutions have established independent neuro-PICUs meeting most Neurocritical Care Society (NCS) standards for neurocritical care units, many centers lack the resources to do so. We describe an alternative neuro-PICU model as a designated unit within a mixed pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and its effects on nursing sentiment. METHODS: We established a 6-bed neuro-PICU within a 36-bed noncardiac PICU. Charge nurses were tasked with admitting PNCC patients into these beds. For nursing expertise, we used a core group of 12 PNCC specialty nurses and instituted PNCC nursing education to PICU nurses. We observed the number of PNCC patients admitted to neuro-PICU beds and surveyed charge nurses to identify barriers to assigning patients. We surveyed PICU nursing staff to explore sentiment regarding PNCC before and after establishing the neuro-PICU. Nursing criteria were compared with NCS standards. RESULTS: In the 40-month period, our PICU saw 2060 PNCC admissions. Overall, occupied neuro-PICU beds housed PNCC patients 74.1% of the time. The biggest barriers to patient placement were too many competing placement requests, not enough neuro-PICU beds when specialty census was high, and difficulty assigning one nurse to two PNCC patients. In surveys after establishing the neuro-PICU, compared to before, experienced nurses reported being more interested in obtaining Emergency Neurological Life Support certification (94.2% vs 80.6%, P = .0495), and inexperienced nurses reported being more familiar with PNCC clinical pathways (53.5% vs 31.7%, P = .0263). Most NCS criteria related to nursing organization were met. CONCLUSIONS: Focused neuro-PICUs should be developed to complement advances in the field of PNCC. Alternative neuro-PICU models are possible and can increase nursing interest in further education and awareness of clinical pathways, but barriers exist that require institutional commitment to nursing development to sustain the delivery of specialized care to this population.

Knowledge of intensive care nurses’ towards prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia in North West Ethiopia referral hospitals, 2021: A multicenter, cross-sectional study

Introduction

Ventilator-associated pneumonia is a common nosocomial infection that occurs in critically ill patients who are on intubation and mechanical ventilation. Nurses' lack of knowledge may be a barrier to adherence to evidence-based guidelines for preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia. This study aimed to assess the knowledge of intensive care nurses’ towards the prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia.

Methods

A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted among nurses working in the intensive care unit from April to July 2021. A pre-tested and structured questionnaire was used to collect data. All intensive care nurses working in the study area were included in the study. Data was entered into Epi-data 4.1 version (EpiData Association, Denmark) and transferred to STATA version 14 (College Station, Texas 77845-4512 USA) statistical software for analysis. Both bi-variable and multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with knowledge of intensive care unit nurse. Variables with a p-value less than <0.2 in the bi-variable analysis were fitted into the multivariable logistic regression analysis. Both Crude and Adjusted Odds Ratio with the corresponding 95% Confidence Interval was calculated to show the strength of association. In multivariable analysis, variables with a p-value of <0.05 were considered statistically significant.

Result

A total of 213 intensive care nurses were included in the study, with a response rate of 204(95.77%). The mean knowledge score of intensive care nurses regarding the prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia out of 20 questions is (10.1 ± 2.41). There are 98 (48.04%) of the participants have been found to have good knowledge and 106 (51.96%) of them are rendered poor knowledge about the overall knowledge related to the prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia. Higher academic qualifications and taking intensive care unit training were significantly associated with good knowledge of ventilator-associated pneumonia prevention in multi-variable logistic regression.

Conclusion

Our study indicates that the knowledge of intensive care nurses about ventilator-associated pneumonia prevention is not sufficient. Higher academic qualifications and taking intensive care unit training are significantly associated with a good level of knowledge. Therefore it shows the necessity for thorough training and education.

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The knowledge of intensive care nurses about ventilator-associated pneumonia prevention is not sufficient.

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Only 98 (48.04%) of the participants have been found to have good knowledge.

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Higher academic qualifications and taking intensive care unit training are significantly associated with a good level of knowledge.

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This study shows the necessity of in-service training and continuing education for intensive care nurses about the prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia.

Exploring the Nursing Factors Related to Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia in the Intensive Care Unit

Objective

The purpose of this study was to investigate the key nursing factors associated with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in critical care patients.

Methods

Through the quality control platform of Hebei Province, questionnaires were sent to intensive care nurses in 32 tertiary hospitals in Hebei Province, China to collect data concerning the incidence of VAP and the status of the nursing staff. All the data were analyzed using an independent t-test and a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to analyse the correlation between the nursing factors and the incidence of VAP. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the risk factors affecting VAP.

Results

In terms of nursing, the incidence of VAP was affected by the differential nursing strategies. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the incidence of VAP was significantly associated with the following six variables: the ratio of nurses to beds (p = 0.000), the ratio of nurses with a bachelor's degree or higher (p = 0.000), the ratio of specialist nurses (p = 0.000), the proportion of nurses with work experience of 5–10 years (p = 0.04), the number of patients nurses were responsible for at night (p = 0.01) and the frequency of oral care (p = 0.000).

Conclusion

The incidence of VAP is closely related to nursing factors. In terms of nursing human resources, even junior nurses (less experienced nurses) can play an essential role in reducing VAP. In addition, to reduce VAP, the number of patients that nurses are responsible for at night should be reduced as much as possible, and improving nursing qualifications.

Healthcare professional views on barriers to implementation of evidence-based practice in prevention of ventilator-associated events: A qualitative descriptive study

OBJECTIVE

To explore health professional views of barriers to the use of evidence-based practice to prevent ventilator-associated events in intensive care units.

DESIGN

A qualitative descriptive study was conducted with nurses and doctors with more than six months experience caring for mechanically ventilated patients.

SETTING

The study was conducted in two intensive care units, in large metropolitan health services in Victoria, Australia.

METHODS

Individual semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 20 participants (16 nurses and 4 doctors) in 2019. Purposive sampling method was used until data saturation was reached. The interviews were held at the hospital in a private room away from their place of employment. The interview data were analysed using thematic analysis.

FINDINGS

Four major themes were inductively identified from nine subthemes: i) prioritising specific situations, ii) inadequate use of evidence to underpin practice, iii) perception of inadequate staffing and equipment and, iv) inadequate training and knowledge of evidence-based guidelines.

CONCLUSIONS

These themes helped to explain previously reported deficits in nurses' knowledge of and adherence to evidence-based practice in intensive care. Findings suggest the need for a well-established policy to underpin practice. The barriers faced by nurses and doctors in preventing ventilator associated events need to be addressed to optimise quality of patient care in intensive care units.

Ventilation bundle compliance in two Australian intensive care units: An observational study

Background

The ventilation bundle has been used in adult intensive care units to decrease harm and improve quality of care for mechanically ventilated patients. The ventilation bundle focuses on prevention of specific complications of mechanical ventilation; ventilator-associated pneumonia, sepsis, barotrauma, pulmonary oedema, pulmonary embolism, and acute respiratory distress syndrome. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement ventilation bundle consists of five structured evidence-based interventions: head of the bed elevation at 30–45°; daily sedation interruptions and assessment of readiness to extubate; peptic ulcer prophylaxis; deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis; and daily oral care with chlorhexidine.

Objectives

The objective of the study was to evaluate the use of the ventilation bundle in two intensive care units in Victoria, Australia.

Methods

This is a 3-month prospective observational study in two intensive care units. Patient medical records were reviewed on days 3, 4, and 5 of mechanical ventilation using a prevalidated ventilation bundle checklist.

Results

A total of 96 critically ill patients required mechanical ventilation for more than 2 d. Patients had a mean age of 64.50 y (standard deviation = 14.89), with an Acute Physiology, Age, Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) III mean score of 79.27 (standard deviation = 27.11). The mean ventilation bundle compliance rate was 88.3% on the three consecutive mechanical ventilation days (day 3 = 79.4%, day 4 = 91.1%, and day 5 = 96.7%). There was a statistically significant difference in the mean APACHE III score between patients who had head of bed elevation and those without head of bed elevation, on days 3 (p = <0.001) and 4 (p = 0.007).

Conclusion

The ventilation bundle elements were used in Australian intensive care units. The likelihood of having all ventilation bundle elements on day 3 was low if the patient's APACHE III score was high. However, the ventilation bundle compliance rate increased with mechanical ventilation days.