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ICU nurses' knowledge of, and attitudes towards, the APACHE II scoring system
Shiu-Lien Chen1, Ien-Lan Wei, Yiing-Yiing Sang
1Veteran General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Journal of Clinical Nursing
|March 11, 2004
Summary
Intensive care unit nurses need more training on the Acute Physiological and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II system. Current knowledge gaps and attitudes suggest improved education is crucial for effective patient care implementation.
Area of Science:
- Critical Care Medicine
- Nursing Education
- Health Informatics
Background:
- The Acute Physiological and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II scoring system is routinely used in intensive care units (ICUs).
- Assessing nurses' knowledge and attitudes is vital for effective implementation of clinical scoring systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the knowledge of ICU nurses regarding the APACHE II scoring system.
- To understand ICU nurses' attitudes towards the APACHE II scoring system.
Main Methods:
- A questionnaire was developed with 20 multiple-choice knowledge questions and 27 Likert-scale attitude statements.
- 102 ICU nurses from a Taiwanese teaching hospital participated in the study.
Main Results:
- Nurses answered 76% of knowledge questions correctly, but significant gaps existed in understanding chronic status scoring, score range, and bicarbonate value usage.
- Attitudes indicated a perception of APACHE II as primarily for administrative statistics rather than direct patient care, though its utility for treatment guidance was acknowledged.
Conclusions:
- ICU nurses require enhanced knowledge of the APACHE II scoring system.
- Targeted education and training on the proper use and purpose of APACHE II are necessary for nurses routinely utilizing this tool.