Nurses' perceptions of education on invasive mechanical ventilation

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Critical Care
• Mechanical Ventilation

Background:

• Intensive care units (ICUs) require nurses to maintain competency through continuing education due to advanced technology and clinical management.
• This study focuses on nurses' perceptions of current education on invasive mechanical ventilation in an Australian ICU setting.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine ICU nurses' perceptions of continuing education on invasive mechanical ventilation.
• To identify preferred educational methods and perceived gaps in current training programs.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative data were collected from open-ended survey questions administered to 160 ICU nurses.
• Content analysis was employed to code data and identify emergent themes regarding education on invasive mechanical ventilation.

Main Results:

• Fifty nurses provided qualitative feedback, revealing five key themes: advanced knowledge, in-service education, practical structured education, interactive bedside teaching, and practicing safe care.
• Nurses felt continuing education favored novice over experienced staff and preferred practical, structured bedside teaching.
• Key themes included the need for advanced knowledge, in-service training, structured practical education, bedside teaching, and safe care practices.

Conclusions:

• Nurses identified a need for interactive, practical, bedside education sessions.
• Effective continuing education should facilitate the transfer of learning into the daily work environment for ICU nurses.