Assessment of Nurse's Knowledge and Practice Regarding Oxygen Therapy at Teaching Hospitals in Al- Nasiriya City\ Iraq

Abstract

Background: Oxygen therapy is considered the most common drug in the treatment of many life-threatening diseases such as respiratory failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and others. Particularly now, with the spread of the Coronavirus outbreak, it has become the main drug to save the patients' lives and care for them. As a result, the nurse should have more kills and experience to performing this procedure in the aim to maintain the patient's life safe and avoid complications associated with incorrect oxygen administration technique.

Aims of the study: To assess nurses' knowledge and practice regarding oxygen therapy in (critical care units), (emergency units), (oncology units) at Al-Haboby Teaching Hospital and Al-Hussein Teaching Hospital in Al-Nasiriya City.

Methodology: A descriptive research design was adopted to conduct this study during the period of (14 November 2020 to 20 March 2021).The study was purposive (non-probability) sample of (60) nurses who are working in (critical care units), (emergency units), (oncology units) at Al- Haboby Teaching Hospital and Al-Hussein Teaching Hospital in Al- Nasiriya City. A self-administered questionnaire was constructed by the researcher for the purpose of data collection regarding nurse's knowledge and practice about oxygen therapy. It consisted of three parts: Part I: Part one contains (12) item including demographic data, Part II: This part deals with nurse’s knowledge and consists of five domains, and Part III: Observational Checklist about nurse’s practice during oxygen administration, it contains (26) items. Study began after requested permission to use the tool. The validity of the study instrument (questionnaire) are determined by experts, who have more than five years’ experience in their fields to determine the clarity and adequacy of the questionnaire to achieve the study objectives. They are (8) faculty members of College of Nursing / University of Baghdad, (1) faculty members of College of Nursing /University of Karbala, (1) faculty member of College of Nursing /University of Thi-Qar, (2) specialized physician in Thoracic diseases and (2) Board anesthesia &intensive care. The questionnaire was finalized after the pilot study was used to test the instrument, the results of the reliability for the questionnaire were the reliability of knowledge was r=0.832 and the reliability of practice by (intra observation) was r=0.821 it considered within the acceptable range and the questionnaires had an adequate level of internal consistency and equivalence measurability. The data were analyzed by applying descriptive and inferential data by application of statistical package for social science program (SPSS) version 23.0.

Results: show that, the study sample was presented a low level of knowledge at all five domains related (general knowledge of oxygen therapy and recognizing hypoxemia, indications for acute oxygen therapy, oxygen prescription, and oxygen delivery practices). While in relation to practice, the sample presented low level of practice at both domains (before administering oxygen therapy and during administering oxygen therapy), while presented moderate level of practice at domain (nursing intervention after administering oxygen therapy).

Conclusion: The nurses ' knowledge and practices about oxygen therapy were inadequate.

Recommendations: Conduct training sessions to improve the performance of the nursing staff on the correct use of oxygen therapy. We recommend researchers to do extensive research in the future on the subject of oxygen therapy, including an educational program.