Assessing the Impact of Educational Intervention on Staff Nurses’ Knowledge, Attitude and Practice in Urine and Blood Sample Collection for Culture: A Quasi-experimental Study
TL;DR
There were gaps in the knowledge and attitude of nurses regarding urine and blood sample collection and these interventions should be ongoing and inclusive of all nurses for obtaining better results on patient samples in microbiology.
Abstract
Introduction: Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) remains a common infection, with the most common Hospital-Acquired Infection (HAI) being Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI), with overdiagnosis and overtreatment of CAUTIs and unnecessary antibiotic use. Blood Culture Contamination (BCC) is a significant quality and safety issue in hospitals, as it leads to an increase in unnecessary testing, admissions, antibiotic exposure, and cost. Aim: To assess the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) of staff nurses regarding urine and blood sample collection for culture in a tertiary health care centre. Materials and Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted between April 2023 and May 2023 at Siddaganga Medical College and Research Institute, Tumakuru, Southern India. A total of 148 staff nurses, all employees of the hospital, who consented to be included in the study with varied age groups and background experience, were included. Selfadministered questionnaires consisting of 10 multiple-choice questions each were prepared, validated and subsequently distributed to nurses both before and after participating in an educational intervention of the microbiology department. Results: Of the 148 participants, 129 females and 19 males, nurses demonstrated good knowledge regarding urine container use both before and after training (148; 100%), while knowledge of urine sampling during catheter change improved from 132 (89%) to 141 (95%). Knowledge regarding refrigeration of urine samples improved from 67 (45%) to 126 (85%), and disinfectant use increased from 33 (22%) to 123 (83%). In blood collection practices, knowledge of skin disinfectant use improved from 110 (74%) to 148 (100%), preferred sampling site awareness increased from 121 (82%) to 141 (95%), and knowledge regarding order of blood collection and blood draw volume improved from 38 (26%) to 126 (85%) and from 73 (49%) to 126 (85%), respectively. Conclusion: In this study, it was found that there were gaps in the knowledge and attitude of nurses regarding urine and blood sample collection. The study identified these gaps and helped design a comprehensive ongoing educational programme for nursing staff to address these gaps. It was found that these interventions should be ongoing and inclusive of all nurses for obtaining better results on patient samples in microbiology.