Critical care nurses' knowledge and attitudes towards using ventilator waveform monitoring to detect patient-ventilator asynchrony: A cross-sectional online survey.

Background: Patient-ventilator asynchrony (PVA) is a condition that commonly affects patients who are mechanically ventilated. PVA happens when the patient's own breathing effort and the ventilator preset settings are out of sync. Ventilator waveform monitoring is viewed as a difficult undertaking, even for experienced practitioners, despite being a non-invasive and reliable tool for diagnosing PVA.

Aim: To assess the knowledge levels and attitudes of critical care nurses (CCNs) regarding the use of ventilator waveform monitoring to detect PVA.

Study Design: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in three intensive care units (ICUs) in Alexandria, Egypt. The questionnaire consisted of four parts to evaluate CCNs' level of knowledge and attitude regarding ventilator waveform monitoring and assess their ability to detect PVA.

Results: Of the 137 CCNs approached, 101 CCNs completed the survey, resulting in a 73.7% response rate. Most nurses (88.1%) demonstrated poor knowledge levels and negative attitudes (93.1%) towards using waveform monitoring to detect PVA. A significant relationship was found between nurses' knowledge of ventilator waveform monitoring and their participation in previous training programmes on mechanical ventilation (MV; p = .031). Additionally, nurses' attitudes towards ventilator waveform monitoring were significantly associated with their level of education (p = .002) and attendance in previous courses on waveform analysis (p = .020).

Conclusions: A majority of CCNs have poor knowledge and negative attitudes regarding ventilator waveform monitoring. Previous training in MV and attendance courses on ventilator waveform analysis showed a significant correlation between nurses' level of knowledge and attitudes regarding ventilator waveform monitoring.

Relevance To Clinical Practice: Assessment of CCNs' knowledge and attitudes regarding ventilator waveform monitoring for detecting patient-ventilator asynchrony (PVA) informs the development of future educational programmes, ultimately aiding in the delivery of prompt and high-quality care.