Knowledge of Oxygen Therapy among Nurses in a Tertiary Hospital in Kenya: Implications for Patient Care and Training Needs

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge of oxygen therapy among nurses working in pediatric and medical units at a referral hospital in limited resource setting. Design: A Cross-Sectional Survey. Methods: A total of 213 nurses participated after completing an acute oxygen therapy questionnaire that assessed their knowledge of oxygen therapy. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and explored the association between variables with chi-square or t-test at P < 0.05. Results: The mean age of participating nurses was 37 years, and over 50% were female. On average, participants had not undergone any refresher course on oxygen therapy in the preceding three years. Oxygen therapy knowledge was found to be higher in male nurses (p = 0.008), those who were aware of the WHO guidelines for oxygen therapy (p = 0.006), and those in senior positions (0.028). Paediatric nurses scored higher in the ‘Recognizing Hypoxemia’ domain than nurses in the medical department (p = 0.003). The domain with the lowest number of correct items identified by participants was ‘Clinical Practices’ (3.23 ± 1.04). Being older (r2 = -0.135) and having worked in the facility for longer (r2 = -0.156) correlated with low knowledge of correct oxygen therapy documentation. Conclusion This study identified gaps in knowledge of oxygen therapy among nurses at a referral hospital in Kenya and emphasized the importance of re-training nurses involved in oxygen therapy administration.