Respiratory Distress Education: Effect on Nurses' Knowledge and Intent to Change Practice

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this quality improvement project was to assess the effect of an online educational presentation on nurses’ knowledge of respiratory distress and the intent to change their practice when caring for patients on a step-down unit at Tucson Medical Center. Background: Hospitalized patients have been increasing in acuity and nurses are caring for extremely ill patients. Patients with respiratory issues are at high risk for decompensation, and in the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are far more patients with respiratory compromise in hospitals than ever before. Nurses need to have knowledge about how to care for patients with respiratory distress as well as understand the support they have if their patient decompensates to respiratory failure. Using an online learning modality is an effective way to educate learners compared to in-person learning and is becoming more prominent during the pandemic. Methods: An online educational presentation about respiratory distress was created and distributed to nurses employed on the post-critical care unit at Tucson Medical Center. After viewing the presentation, nurses’ knowledge about respiratory distress and their intent to change practice were assessed by a post- then pre-designed survey. Results: Thirteen nurses viewed the online presentation and answered the survey questions. Five participants (38.4%) rated their knowledge higher after viewing the presentation compared to their knowledge rating pre-presentation, but these results were not statistically significant (p=0.09). Twelve participants (92.3%) responded that their knowledge did change after viewing the presentation. Eleven participants (85%) responded that they intended to change their practice after viewing the presentation. Conclusions: A large majority of participants felt that their knowledge of respiratory distress was increased after viewing the presentation. Similarly, most participants reported an intent to change their practice when caring for patients with respiratory distress after viewing the presentation. The presentation remains active on Tucson Medical Center’s online learning platform and will be included in critical care education classes for nursing staff.