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

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary Medicine
• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Quality Improvement

Background:

• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases (COPD) significantly contributes to respiratory failure, morbidity, and mortality.
• Nurses are crucial for delivering safe, effective, and patient-centered COPD care.
• Gaps in nursing knowledge can impact COPD patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate an evidence-based intervention designed to enhance COPD knowledge among healthcare nurses.
• To assess the impact of the intervention on nurses working in public primary and secondary healthcare settings.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a combined educational program and an educational algorithm.
• The educational algorithm was based on the Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of COPD.
• Knowledge assessment was conducted at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and at 3 and 6 months.

Main Results:

• Baseline COPD knowledge among nurses was low (52.74% correct answers).
• A significant increase in knowledge scores was observed immediately after the intervention.
• This knowledge improvement was sustained at 3 and 6 months post-intervention.

Conclusions:

• The evidence-based intervention demonstrated a strong positive effect on nurses' COPD knowledge.
• The educational session and algorithm were key drivers of knowledge enhancement.
• Sustained high performance indicates the long-term effectiveness of the intervention for COPD care.