Knowledge of post-operative airway emergencies in recovery room nurses in selected hospitals

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in the partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Medicine in Anaesthesiology Johannesburg, 2015Background Recovery room nurses are required to have knowledge, skills and competency to recognise and safely manage post-operative airway emergencies in adult patients. Aim The aim of this study was to describe the level of knowledge of post-operative airway emergencies in recovery room nurses working at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (CHBAH), Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH) and Helen Joseph Hospital (HJH). Method A prospective, contextual and descriptive research design, involving a self-administered questionnaire was used. The questionnaire consisted of two sections: demographic data and knowledge based questioned, Convenience sampling was used. The sample population was formed by all recovery room nurses on duty at a given time, who voluntarily elected to participate. Results Descriptive statistics were used. The overall mean score obtained by the 24 participants was 46.2% (SD 21.7%) which is 23.8% below the competency score of 70%. The range of scores attained by participants was 8-75% with only five participants (20.8%) achieving a score ≥ 70%. Conclusion Recovery room nurses working at CHBAH, CMJAH and HJH did not have the necessary knowledge and competency required to safely provide quality nursing care to post-operative patients. The majority of participants failed to achieve a set competency score, representing adequate knowledge. As the study was contextual, the results could not be generalised.MT201