Investigating Nurses' Knowledge about Preeclamptic Patients' Care in a Tertiary Care Centre in Romania

Aim:The present study aimed to investigate nurses' knowledge about the care provided to pre-eclamptic patients in a tertiary care centre in Romania. Study design:A cross sectional study. Setting:This study was conducted in Polizu Clinical Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Bucharest, Romania, from early January 2019 to the end of February 2019. Subjects:Sixty five nurses working at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department. Data analysis:Data were collected using a self-administered structured questionnaire and they were analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics 20 and Microsoft Office Excel/Word 2013. Tools:Two tools were used for data collection. Tool I: Assessment sheet to collect data regarding nurses' general characteristics; and Tool II: A questionnaire to evaluate nurses' knowledge and practices regarding the management of pre-eclampsia/eclampsia. Results:About 73.8% of nurses confirmed that they participated in educational programs in the obstetrics field; 10.8% of them confirmed that they participated in training programs for pre-eclampsia/eclampsia, 47.7% gave the right answer when they were asked to correctly identify the definition of eclampsia, 78.5% answered correctly to the proper identification of proteinuria in pregnancy definition, only 9.2% gave the right answer when asked to properly identify chronic hypertension, 40% chose the right answer when asked to correctly identify gestation ages for antenatal use of corticosteroids to improve neonatal result, and 70.8% answered correctly to the proper identification of the best anticonvulsant for severe pre-eclampsia/ eclampsia. Conclusion:Continuous professional development is critical in nurses' work in both theory and clinical practice. Unfortunately, this study identified wide gaps in the knowledge of nurses about pre-eclampsia/ eclampsia, including their assessment, diagnosis and management. This is a major concern as globally, severe pre-eclampsia and eclampsia result in 70 000 maternal deaths annually. Recommendations:Improving nurse's awareness regarding nursing knowledge and practices through educational programs aimed to encourage them to use best evidence-based practices in their daily practice and reducing maternal and child mortality by pre-eclampsia/eclampsia in Romania.