Nurses’ Knowledge on the Prevention of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP) among Critically Ill Patients

Nurses’ Knowledge on the Prevention of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP) among Critically Ill Patients

Critically ill patients; knowledge; nurses; prevention of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP); ventilator bundle checklist

Background: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a significant concern in
healthcare settings, particularly among critically ill patients who require mechanical
ventilation. Nurses play a vital role in preventing VAP through their knowledge and
implementation of evidence-based practices. However, there exists a notable gap in the
research regarding nurses’ knowledge of preventing VAP to improve patient outcomes
and reduce healthcare costs.
Purpose: This study aimed to assess nurses’ knowledge of preventing VAP among
critically ill patients using the ventilator bundle checklist.
Methods: This study used a one-group pretest-posttest design to test the change in the
nurses’ knowledge scores on VAP working in two government hospitals in Buraidah, Al
Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia. The study covered 250 purposively and conveniently
sampled nurses from intensive care units. Data collection was performed in three
phases: pre-test, VAP educational program, and post-test. Data were collected using
self-administered questionnaires on nurses’ socio-demographics, a 20-item self-made
survey about the knowledge of VAP and its prevention and the adapted ventilator bundle
checklist. The collected data were entered, prepared, and analyzed using SPSS version
25.0. Relevant ethical issues were strictly considered.
Results: The results showed that during the pre-test, correct responses were accounted
for but showed low scores in the following areas: general knowledge of VAP (27.6%),
factors associated with VAP (36%), international guidelines for prevention (20.8%), and
nurses’ roles in prevention (16.4%). However, in the post-test, there was a remarkable
increase in the knowledge scores in the same categories (95.2%) on general knowledge,
on factors associated with VAP (74.8%), on international guidelines (73.6%) and on
nurses’ roles in prevention (61.6%). The program significantly improved overall VAP
knowledge and knowledge in specific areas like general VAP, associated factors,
international guidelines, and nurses’ roles in prevention (p<0.000).
Conclusion: A pre-test revealed low baseline knowledge across all four areas assessed:
general VAP knowledge, factors associated with VAP, international VAP prevention
guidelines, and nurses’ roles in VAP prevention. However, post-test scores markedly
increased in all areas, indicating the educational program’s effectiveness. Hence, the
findings suggest that educational intervention focused on VAP screening and bundle
protocols could be beneficial to address the gap in knowledge on VAP.

Maha Sanat Alreshidi1

, Fareda Ali AlRashidi2, Cyruz P. Tuppal3, Denise Angelo M. Prudencio4, Nojoud

Alrashidi5, Rico William A. Villagracia6, Hazel N. Villagracia6

https://doi.org/10.14710/nmjn.v14i1.50955

23 April 2024

PERI IRAWAN

PDF

ENGLISH

TEXT