Determination of Knowledge Levels of Nurses Working in the Emergency Department and Intensive Care Units about Evidence-Based Practices in the Prevention of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia

Abstract

Objective:The aim of this study was to determine the level of knowledge of nurses working in the Emergency Departments (ED)and Intensive Care Units (ICU)about evidence-based practices in the prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia(EBP-VAP). Materials and Methods:This descriptive,two-center study was conducted on nurses working in the EDs and ICUs of two public hospitals in the city center of Malatya.A total of 199 nurses who worked in the ED or ICU for at least one year were included in the study,on voluntary basis.The data were collected by using “Personal Information Form” and the “Information on Evidence-Based Practices for the Prevention of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia Form”(EBP-VAP). Results:The mean age of the nurses was 35.92±6.54,58.8% of them were females and 6.7% were undergraduates.The mean total VAP score of the nurses was found to be 4.76±1.57.It was determined that there was a weak positive correlation between the ages of the nurses,their years in the profession,years of working in the emergency room/intensive care unit, and their average total VAP scores (p