Knowledge about oxygen therapy in final-year nursing students

Abstract

Background: Knowledge of oxygen therapy is crucial for nurses to recognize early risk factors and prevent complications, thereby enhancing treatment efficienc Objective: This study aimed to describe the knowledge about oxygen therapy in final-year nursing students at Nam Dinh University of Nursing. Methodology: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with 236 final-year un dergraduate nursing students. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Results: The mean score for students’ general knowledge was 6.73 ± 1.43 out of 10. The lowest mean score was for knowledge about weaning and discontinuing oxygen therapy (3.79 ± 1.89) and knowledge about oxygen delivery devices (5.34 ± 2.77). Scores for recognizing signs of hypoxemia and monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of oxygen therapy were 8.88, 6.37, and 8.38, respectively. Conclusion: Students’ knowledge about oxygen therapy is average, with gaps in areas such as weaning and discontinuing oxygen therapy and oxygen delivery devices. Greater focus on these topics in pre-clinical and clinical education is advised to improve patient care, oxygen use, and reduce complications.

Keywords

• knowledge
• nursing student
• oxygen inhalation therapy
• monitoring
• patient safety
• Vietnam