Practice and confidence in electrocardiogram interpretation among ICU nurses: A cross-sectional study
Salome E Buluba1, Jinyi He2, Hong Li3
1School of Nursing, Fujian Medical University, Fujian, China; Department of Clinical Nursing, School of Nursing, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Intensive & Critical Care Nursing
|September 18, 2024
Summary
Intensive care unit (ICU) nurses in China show poor electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation skills, with only 2.2% accurately interpreting all strips. Enhancing ECG knowledge through education is crucial for improving practice and confidence in patient care.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Practice
- Cardiology
- Medical Education
Background:
- Electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation is a critical skill for intensive care unit (ICU) nurses.
- Assessing ECG interpretation competency among ICU nurses is essential for ensuring quality patient care and outcomes.
- Limited data exists on the practice and confidence levels of ECG interpretation among ICU nurses in Fujian Province, China.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the practice and confidence levels of ECG interpretation among ICU nurses in Fujian Province, China.
- To identify factors predicting ECG interpretation practice among these nurses.
- To provide evidence-based recommendations for improving ECG interpretation skills in nursing practice.
Main Methods:
- A quantitative, cross-sectional study was conducted online among 357 ICU nurses across 21 hospitals in Fujian Province.
- Purposive and convenient sampling were used for hospital and participant selection, respectively.
- Data were collected using a validated Chinese questionnaire, and binary logistic regression was employed to identify predictors of ECG interpretation practice.
Main Results:
- The mean ECG interpretation practice score was 5.54 out of 10, with only 2.2% of nurses correctly interpreting all ECG strips.
- A low percentage of ICU nurses (25.5%) demonstrated good ECG interpretation practice, and their confidence mean score was 2.02 out of 4.
- Significant predictors of good ECG interpretation practice included working in emergency ICU (vs. cardiac ICU), prior ECG training, university/school as the source of ECG training, and higher ECG knowledge.
Conclusions:
- ICU nurses in Fujian Province exhibit relatively poor ECG interpretation practice and confidence.
- Improving ECG interpretation skills requires targeted educational programs to enhance nurses' basic ECG knowledge.
- Strengthening ECG interpretation competency among ICU nurses is vital for accurate cardiac arrhythmia monitoring and improved patient outcomes.
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