Closing the gap: The effect of an evidence-based intervention in increasing COPD nurses' knowledge

Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) is the leading cause of respiratory failure and is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Nurses play a vital role in ensuring effective, safe, and person-centered care in COPD.

To assess the effect of an evidence-based intervention in increasing the COPD knowledge in a sample of care nurses, staffing public primary, and secondary healthcare services infrastructures and hospitals.

An intervention that entailed a combination of an educational program and the use of an educational algorithm based on the Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of COPD was performed.

At the baseline, the mean total percentage of correct answers was very low (52.74%) as opposed to the other time intervals in which there was a huge increase after the session that was maintained 3 and 6 months later. The highest effect in the total knowledge score was attributed to the educational session followed by the use of the educational algorithm.

The effect of the intervention on the mean score of correct answers was very strong, which is confirmed by the consistency of the high performance of nurses after 3 and 6 months, respectively.