Assessing knowledge of wound care among cardiothoracic nurses

to explore cardiothoracic nurses' knowledge and self-reported competence of wound care following cardiac surgery and to ascertain if there were any differences in knowledge between nurses working in public and private hospitals.

cardiothoracic nurses are the main providers of wound care for patients post cardiac surgery, however, there is a lack of research about their knowledge of wound care.

a descriptive, quantitative design was used in the form of a cross-sectional, self-reported questionnaire.

the questionnaire was developed to ascertain nurses' knowledge of cardiac wound management. Census sampling was used and the questionnaire was distributed to 503 nurses in 6 hospitals in the Republic of Ireland. Total knowledge scores were calculated and data analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

the response rate was 31.2% (n=158). The main knowledge deficits identified were wound healing, the signs and symptoms of surgical site infection and cardiac-specific wound care. Some nurses reported using inappropriate products for cleansing wounds and variable time for initial postoperative dressing removal.

the combination of low total knowledge scores and requests for further training and education suggest the need for ongoing wound care education. Audit of the use of wound cleansing products, support bras and wound assessment charts is recommended.