Assessment of the Nurses’ Knowledge during Caring for Hemodialysis Patients

Mini Review

Austin J Nurs Health Care. 2019; 6(1): 1051.

Assessment of the Nurses’ Knowledge during Caring for Hemodialysis Patients

Essa Alramadhan S1*, Alsayed S2, Ibrahim Osman Ahmed M3, Ali Assir Z4, Fahad Alsharar F5, Khalid Alshammery F6, Khaled al Sayed B7, Essa Alramadhan Z8 and Essa Alramadhan F9

1Master in Adult Medical Surgical Nursing, Nursing in King Salman Hospital, Saudi Arabia

2Medical Surgical Nursing, College of Nursing in King Saud University, Saudi Arabia

3Medical Surgical Nursing, University of El Imam Elmahadi, Senior Nurse Specialist in Al Amal Complex for Mental Health Riyadh KSA, Sudan

4Master in Community Health Nursing, Director of Nursing in King Salman Hospital, Saudi Arabia

5Master in Nursing Education and Administration, Saudi Arabia

6Nurse Specialists CPHQ, Public Health Quality Coordinator in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia

7Master in Community Health Nursing Charge Nurse in King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz University Hospital, Saudi Arabia

8Diploma in General Nursing, Staff Nurse in Dammam Medical Complex, Saudi Arabia

9Hospital Administration in King Fahad Medical City, Saudi Arabia

*Corresponding author: Sahar Essa Alramadhan, Master in Adult Medical Surgical Nursing, Nursing in King Salman Hospital, Saudi Arabia

Received: May 30, 2019;Accepted: June 24, 2019; Published: July 01, 2019

Abstract

Hemodialysis is a method that is used to achieve the extracorporeal removal of waste products such as creatinine and urea free water from the blood when the kidneys are in a state of renal failure. The Arab countries have a high prevalence of chronic kidney disease, risk factors e.g. diabetes, obesity and hypertension. Diabetes and hypertension are the top two courses of End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) in seven of twelve Arab countries. The nurse in the dialysis unit has an important role in monitoring, supporting assessing and educating the patient. The standards of nephrology nursing practice are authoritative statements of the duties that all nephrology registered nurses are expected to perform competently. This study aims to identify nurse’s level of knowledge caring patient undergoing hemodialysis, to identify factors that affecting nurses level of knowledge caring patient undergoing hemodialysis

Methodology: It is an exploratory quantitative study, and convenient type of sample. It is conducted in AKU (Artificial Kidney Unit) in King Saud Medical City (KSMC). The sample was all nurses working in the unit, multi-nationality the study sample were 97 nurses

Data were collected through: Questionnaire for assessing the nurse’s socio- demographic and assessing the nurse’s level of knowledge

Results: There is a correlation between the nurse’s level of knowledge and their performance and there is a low level of nurse’s knowledge as regards to caring the patient undergoing hemodialysis.

Recommendation: Nephrology registered nurses must continually reassess their competencies and identify needs for additional knowledge personal growth and integrative learning experiences.

Keywords: Knowledge; Nurse’s and hemodialysis

Introduction

Chronic Renal Failure (CRF) is a globally increasing condition that is most commonly treated with hemodialysis [1]. it was historically termed is a term that encompasses all degrees of decreased renal function, from damaged–at risk through mild, moderate, and severe chronic kidney failure [2]. End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) is a total and permanent kidney failure. When the kidneys fail, the body retains fluid. Harmful wastes build up. A person with ESRD needs treatment to replace the work of the failed kidneys [3]. Hemodialysis is now a standardized therapy and used as a life-sustaining therapy for more than 300,000 patients in the United States who have end stage renal disease [4]. Hemodialysis remained the most common treatment modality [5]. Hemodialysis is the most common method used to treat advanced and permanent kidney failure. Since the 1760s, when hemodialysis first became a practical treatment for kidney failure, we have learned much about how to make hemodialysis treatments more effective and minimize side effects. However, even with better procedures and equipment, hemodialysis is still a complicated and inconvenient therapy that requires a coordinated effort from your whole health care team, including your nephrologists, dialysis nurse, dialysis technician, dietitian, and social worker [6]. As regard to hemodialysis history. The first dialysis session in Saudi Arabia took place in 1791 and the first renal transplant in 1797. By the end of 2002, there were 102203 patients on hemodialysis, 766 on peritoneal dialysis, and 9236 with functioning kidney grafts. Of the 102203 patients on hemodialysis in the kingdom, the Ministry of Health (MOH) hospitals, 19.96 by non-MOH governmental hospitals, and 16.46 treated 65.76 from the private sector. Of all the patients receiving dialysis, only 2.96 were on Peritoneal Dialysis (PD). Of these, two-thirds are on Automatic Peritoneal Dialysis (APD) and one-third on Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD). The mortality rate among patients on PD is similar to those on hemodialysis. Approximately 54.26 were males and 22.36 were Saudis of all the patients on dialysis, 66.26 were over >45 years of age. Of the current patients on hemodialysis, 42.56 were diabetic. The prevalence of Renal Replacement Therapy (RRT) has increased from 361 Per Million Populations (PMP) in 1775 to 294 PMP in 2002. Over the same period, the dialysis patient prevalence has increased from 129 to 463 PMP (an increase of 1626) and renal transplant prevalence from 162 to 391 PMP (an increase of 1216) [7] as regard to role of the nurse in the hemodialysis unit. The nurse in the dialysis unit has an important role in monitoring, supporting, assessing and educating the patient. During dialysis, the patient, the dialyzer, and the dialysate bath require constant monitoring because numerous complication are possible, including clotting of the circuit, air embolism, inadequate or excessive ultra filtration hypotension, cramping, vomiting, blood leaks, contamination, and access complications [8]. Dialysis nurses must have a comprehensive knowledge of kidney disease and be able to apply this knowledge to their practice [9]. Significance of the study: There are 122 dialysis centers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia having 42955 machines catering to 122116 patients. The ministry of health offers the largest percentage of these facilities with contributions made by the NON-MOH government sector as well as the private sector. The age distribution of dialysis population showed that the majority of patients are in the age group, 26 to 45 years. About 6.46 of the dialysis patients are older than 95 years while only 1.36 of them is less than 15 years (sjkdt.org, 2014).

Aim of study: Study at hand aim to identify nurse’s level of knowledge caring patient undergoing hemodialysis. And to identify factors that affecting nurses’ level of knowledge caring patient undergoing hem dialysis.

Study design: It is exploratory quantitative study, and convenient type of sample. The duration of data collection was started February 15/02/2016 to March 24/03/2016. The assessment and data collection was done through questionnaire throughout direct interview with nurses. Which consist of two parts, questionnaire for assessing the nurses Socio demo graphic characteristics, includes sex, age, nationality, qualification, years of experience in dialysis, years of experience in any other nursing specialty. The second part is written exam with the different types of the objective test questions for assessing the nurse’s level of knowledge. The knowledge assessed anatomy & Physiology of the kidney, an overview of renal failure, hemodialysis, principles, process, vascular access, complication no of dialysis and the nursing management for patient pre, during, and post dialysis session. There was79 nurse enrolled in the study, according to Inclusion criteria.

Inclusion criteria: Nurses from both sex, multi nationality and had at least 6 months training in hemodialysis units.

Exclusion criteria: Nurses, who are not providing direct care to the patient, e.g. head nurse/ charge nurse/ supervisors/ infection control nurse.

The data collected through the following tools

1. Questionnaire for assessing the nurses’ Socio-demographic characteristics, educational and experience background, all information needed was collected throughout direct interview with nurses.

2. A written exam with the different types of the objective test questions for assessing the nurses’ level of knowledge. The nurses answered the exam sheet in the presence of the researcher.

Statistical Methods

The following statistical methods used

1. Frequencies and percentage for the description of study sample demographic characteristics.

2. Chi-square test were used to assess the association between the factors affecting nurse’s Knowledge, and socio demographic where the significant level of acceptance for the test is 0.05.

Results

Table 1 shows that, the study sample comprised (79) nurses, (78) male and (1) female. Approximately half of the nurse’s ages are between 20-29 years (48.1) and the mean score and standard deviation is 30.3 ± 4.2 for nurse’s age. Two third of the nurses are married 63.3%, and near to two third of the nurses are non-Saudi 59.5%. Table 2 shows that more than (56%) have nursing diploma in dialysis, less than one third, (30%) have general nursing diploma, and 14.8% have bachelor science in nursing P 0.409 years of experiences as a hemodialysis nurse, near to the two thirds of the nurses (60.8%) less than 5 years and less than one third (29.1%) there experience between 6-9 year and those who have 10 years experience there represent 10.1%. The majority of the nurses (93.7%) were attending training programs/course hem dialysis while only (6.3%) not attended training program Table 3 shows half of the nurses in pre dialysis (51.7%) have unsatisfactory, and (22.78%), have satisfactory, while (12.8) an above average level, and only (6.3%) have an exceptional level of knowledge, in initiating dialysis stage shows that less than half of the nurses (26.6%) unsatisfactory level of knowledge while (40.3%) have satisfactory level and above average (18.9%) and exceptional level of knowledge is (10.1%) during dialysis (64.6%) have unsatisfactory level of knowledge and (30.4%) have satisfactory level, while (5.06%) above average and no one have exceptional level of knowledge, in post dialysis all the respondent have unsatisfactory of the knowledge (100%). Table 4 regards knowledge about management of anticoagulation. That half of the nurses, (49.4) has a unsatisfactory level of the knowledge and (29.11%) have satisfactory level of the knowledge an exceptional level of performance about (21.5%) and no any above average the majority of nurses (91.1%) has a satisfactory level of the knowledge about management of patient with aneurysms, and only (8.9) has an exceptional level of performance and no any above average no any unsatisfactory level of knowledge and regard Management of clotted access to any unsatisfactory level of knowledge, but there are (32.9%) satisfactory level while (67%). Exceptional Performance level (53.7%), no any above average. Approximately one fifth of nurses have an exceptional performance of level of knowledge regard Management of patient with disequilibrium syndrome about (17.7%) is unsatisfactory level and (36.7%) is satisfactory, while (27.95) is above average and (17.7%) is exceptional level of knowledge, regard knowledge for transporting patients for dialysis from the nursing unit, no any unsatisfactory level of knowledge and (97.5%). More than two third of the nurses (21.179) have a satisfactory level of knowledge about hem dialysis machine. Approximately about (78.7%) have a satisfactory of the knowledge about the nurse’s performance during hem dialysis process, and (25.3%) have unsatisfactory level, while (3.2%) above average, again no any exceptional level. Their performance during dialysis about (3.2%) is unsatisfactory level while (96.2%) is satisfactory level and any one expressed above average or exceptional level of knowledge.