ACE inhibitors and potassium foods--nurses' knowledge

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology
• Nutritional Science
• Healthcare Education

Background:

• Joint Commission standards mandate patient education on drug-nutrient interactions.
• Nurses play a crucial role in educating patients about medication management.
• Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are widely prescribed, necessitating awareness of their interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess nurses' knowledge of ACE inhibitor drug-nutrient interactions.
• To evaluate nurses' ability to identify high- and low-potassium foods.
• To determine the impact of patient load and education on this knowledge.

Main Methods:

• A self-administered questionnaire was completed by 83 licensed nurses in a US teaching hospital.
• Descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations, confidence intervals, frequencies, percentages) were calculated.
• Student's t-test analyzed responses based on ACE inhibitor patient load and nursing education.

Main Results:

• Nurses achieved a mean score of 62% for ACE inhibitor and potassium knowledge.
• Identifying high- and low-potassium foods yielded a lower mean score of 32%.
• Knowledge levels were consistent across different ACE inhibitor patient loads and educational backgrounds.

Conclusions:

• Nurses demonstrated proficiency in ACE inhibitor pharmacology but struggled with identifying relevant dietary potassium sources.
• A significant gap exists in nurses' ability to recognize foods that pose a risk for drug-nutrient interactions.
• Targeted training is recommended to enhance nurses' expertise in ACE inhibitor-potassium interactions for improved patient counseling.