Assessing Knowledge and Practice Among Nurses Regarding Postoperative Wound Care in Public Sector Teaching Hospitals of Peshawar

Abstract

Wound management, or the expert practice carried out by healthcare professionals in a hospital context, poses a significant challenge to patient care. Because the whole expense of wound management was covered by health insurance in various care settings, the impact of wound complications on people and healthcare institutions was typically underestimated or even ignored. Objective: To assess the knowledge and to determine practices among nurses regarding post-operative wound care. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used among 209 nurses, having at least 1-year experience, of Khyber Teaching Hospital and Hayatabad Medical Complex (KTH and HMC). Data were collected through self-administered questionnaire via convenient sampling. Descriptive statistics and variable were computed using SPSS version 23.0 and correlation and significance was determined among variables. Results: The study showed that 60.8 % nurses had good knowledge while 82.3% had good practices regarding post-operative wound care. Educational level and experience of nurse were significant and positively correlated to the knowledge and practice of nurse regarding wound care. The greater the educational level and experience of nurse, greater is the knowledge and practice of that nurse regarding wound care. Conclusions: Nurses displayed good wound care knowledge and practice. Education and work experience were recognized as key factors impacting nurses' knowledge and practices in the study