Intensive Care Unit Nurse's Knowledge and Practices Related to Intravenous Fluid and Electrolyte Administration
سحر أدهم علي, نوار رباح هادي عزيز
كلية التمريض-جامعة بابل · العراق
The most effective course of treatment entails careful management of fluid balance, including careful evaluation of hydration, a patient-specific fluid treatment plan, frequent fluid and electrolyte balance checks with appropriate treatment plan modifications in response to critically sick patients' rapidly changing clinical status.Nurses have the knowledge and clinical abilities to maintain patients' electrolyte balance and hydration status as best as possible.They can continuously assess their patients' health and quickly identify any abnormalities that call for immediate intervention, such as fluid and electrolyte imbalances. Objective: To assess intensive care unit nurses’ knowledge and practice related to fluid and electrolyte administration.Methodology: Descriptive –observational study design is chosen to carry out this study to achieve the objectives which structures to analyze the knowledge and practices of nurses who work in the intensive care unit regarding intravenous fluid and electrolyte administration phenomena, from the period between 9 November 2022 to 5 June 2023.Non-probability purposive sample of (174) nurses were selected out of (269) nurses working in Al-Hilla teaching hospitals. Results:The findings indicated that the majority of the study sample88(50.6%) were male. The results recorded that most of their age 91(52.3%) were between (20-25) years age group, the higher percentage 90 (51.7%) were married, the majority of the study sample110 (63.2%) had a bachelor's degrees, and 120 (69.0%) lived in urban resident.Intensive care unit nurse’s knowledge recorded(71.15%)unsatisfactory level, related to training sessions concerning fluid and electrolyte administration the results recorded that most of the study sample 131(75.3%) didn’t involve in any training courses, while their practices recorded (46.52%) unsatisfied related to the studied phenomena. Conclusion: Overall knowledge level of the nurses related to fluid and electrolytes administration was recorded unsatisfied level while their practices were recorded as fair in level.Recommendation: Continuous in-service education programs can be established to improve nurse’s knowledge to assessment, monitoring fluid and electrolyte replacement therapy