Nurses’ knowledge and care practices for infection prevention in neutropenic patients

Nurses' knowledge of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia and its management: a cross-sectional survey

BACKGROUND

Chemotherapy-induced neutropenia (CIN) is a serious and potentially life-threatening condition that is associated with high morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to assess nurses' level of knowledge of CIN and its association with socio-demographic factors.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey design was used.

RESULTS

Participants had a mean age of 34.1 years (SD = 7.1 years) and were predominantly female (78%) and with a bachelor's degree in nursing (95.6%). The nurses had a moderate level of knowledge about neutropenia and its management (mean total score 16.3 out of 30, SD = 3.7). Those who had a post-graduate degree (P = .048), had received an oncology educational course (P = .011), had attended a course on neutropenia (P = .007), who were working in an oncology unit (P = .002), and had more oncology experience (P = 001) were more likely to have a higher level of knowledge of CIN and its management compared to their other counterparts.

CONCLUSION

Based on the findings of a moderate level of knowledge of CIN among nurses, the findings call for the need for further education and training. As a long-term plan, this might be accomplished by encouraging nurses to pursue post-graduate education or oncology-specialized certification and supporting them with scholarship grants. However, deliberate plans for short courses, training and workshops on oncology or CIN are other choices with a more immediate impact on nurses' knowledge and clinical practice. Finally, integrating oncology nursing education within nursing curricula is urgently needed.

Student nurses' knowledge about the management of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia: Multi-national survey

BACKGROUND

Chemotherapy-induced neutropenia is a serious global health concern. It is essential that student nurses who are the future of healthcare are equipped with the right knowledge to care for the unique needs of patients with neutropenia.

OBJECTIVE

The study assesses student nurses' knowledge of neutropenia management and examines the difference in their knowledge with regard to their demographics.

DESIGN

A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was used.

SETTINGS

Participants for this survey were recruited from four nursing schools from three countries: Jordan, Oman, and Saudi Arabia.

PARTICIPANTS

The study sample comprised 230 student nurses representing all three countries.

METHODS

Online data collection was implemented. A message including the link to the study questionnaire was sent to students through their university portal. Demographic data and the neutropenia knowledge questionnaire were collected.

RESULTS

The student nurses showed poor knowledge of neutropenia and its management (mean = 10.1 out of 30). The bridging students (M = 12.6, SD = 9.8) had significantly higher mean total knowledge scores than the regular students (M = 9.8, SD = 5.5) (t = 2.9, df = 38.9, p = 0.006). However, students who had received previous education about neutropenia management (M = 11.6, SD = 5.0) had significantly higher mean knowledge scores than those who had not (M = 9.5, SD = 5.6) (t = -2.73, df = 134.8, p = 0.007).

CONCLUSIONS

The study findings underscore the overarching necessity to improve students' knowledge of neutropenia and its management. However, addressing this concern is multifaceted and requires deliberate effort from various agencies. Developing innovative strategies to increase the coverage of oncology nursing in the curriculum, improving faculty expertise, enhancing staff nurses' knowledge and skills, provision of funding, and adoption of oncology-related competencies in the nursing program need to be explored as key solutions.

Bundle for the prevention and management of complications of neutropenia in cancer patients

OBJECTIVES

to construct and assess bundle content for the prevention and management of complications in neutropenia in cancer patients.

METHODS

a methodological study developed in four stages: scoping review; bundle construction; material assessment by experts (developed according to Pasquali's psychometry); pilot test in a High Complexity Assistance Unit in Oncology. For content assessment, the Delphi technique was applied in two rounds and those items with Content Validation Coefficient (CVC)> 0.78 and agreement> 80.0% were considered valid. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

RESULTS

all bundle requirements reached agreement between judges above 80.0%, in addition to statistically significant levels of assessment. At the end of the Delphi technique, bundle was significantly valid with CVC = 0.92 and CVC = 0.93, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

bundle content proved to be valid and highly credible.

Iranian Nurses' Knowledge of Neutropenia and Their Practice for Infection Prevention in Patients with Cancer

Neutropenia is one of cancer disease and treatment complications. Suboptimal management of neutropenia may interfere with cancer treatment and result in patient death. This study aimed to evaluate the nurses' knowledge of neutropenia and their practice for infection prevention in cancer patients in hospitals of Kerman, in southeast Iran. This study had a descriptive-analytical cross-sectional design. 203 nurses working in oncology, bone marrow transplantation, and medical wards of teaching hospitals of Kerman University of Medical Sciences participated in the study. A demographic questionnaire, a neutropenia knowledge questionnaire, and a checklist of nurses' care practice for infection control in cancer patients were used for data collection. The mean score of knowledge about neutropenia in nurses was 16.96 ± 2.8 which was moderate. Only 11.8% of the participants had good knowledge of neutropenia. The mean score of nurses' overall practice for infection control in cancer patients was 7.88 ± 4.63 which was moderate. Only 19.2% of nurses had a good care practice for infection control in patients with cancer. There was no significant correlation between nurses' knowledge of neutropenia and their practices for infection control in cancer patients (P = 0.05). Based on the results, nurses' knowledge of neutropenia and their practice for infection control in patients with cancer are not optimal. Therefore, in addition to promoting educational programs to enhance nurses' knowledge in this field, other factors affecting the promotion of nurses' practices in controlling infection in patients with cancer should also be identified.