The impact of education program on nurses' knowledge and performance about acute exacerbations of chronic bronchial asthma in PICUs

Abstract

BackgroundAcute exacerbations of bronchial asthma can lead to worsening symptoms, therefore it's important to have a well-designed management program. Many pediatric nurses, particularly internship nurses and recently graduated nurses in the PICU, lacked adequate knowledge and performance in managing children with acute exacerbations. ObjectiveThis study aimed to assess nurses' knowledge and performances regarding acute exacerbations of chronic bronchial asthma. Materials and methodsA quasi-experimental (pre/post-test) design at PICUs xxx and PICU at xxx University Hospital, Egypt. A convenience sample of sixty nurses was randomly split into two groups (30 internship nursing students at the PICU and 30 newly graduated registered nurses). ResultsThe two groups under study had inadequate preprogram knowledge of acute exacerbations of chronic asthma. Compared to freshly registered nurses, internship nurses have a sufficient level of knowledge regarding acute exacerbations of chronic bronchial asthma during the program. Additionally, children who received care from the internship nurses group had lower levels of dyspnea after the program than children who received care from the nurses' group, indicating that internship nurses performed better than freshly registered nurses in PICUs. ConclusionThe present study recommended establishing regular workshops that focus the evidence-based performances regarding the management of acute exacerbations of chronic bronchial asthma in PICUs.