Knowledge and Associated Factors Towards Sepsis Management Among Nurses Working in the Emergency Department of Public Hospitals in Addis Ababa

Abstract

Background Sepsis is a major cause of mortality worldwide and an important public health problem. The quality of patient care is negatively impacted when nurses lack adequate knowledge regarding the management of sepsis. On the other hand, little is known regarding Ethiopian nurses’ knowledge of sepsis management. Objective To assess the level of knowledge and the associated factors towards sepsis management among nurses working in emergency departments in public hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Method From March 18 to April 18, 2022, a health facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted. A simple sampling technique (lottery method) was used to select the hospitals. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 25. The study employed logistic regression analysis to examine the association between the independent variables and the level of knowledge. Variables were significantly associated with a level of knowledge if they had a p-value of less than 0.05 and a 95% confidence interval. Result Of the 127 participants, more than half (56.7%) had poor knowledge. Nurses’ knowledge of managing sepsis was significantly associated with not having regular training, a low level of education, and working experience of less than five years. The findings of the multivariable regression analysis revealed that the following variables were associated with a nurse's knowledge of sepsis management: low level of education (AOR = 3.2 (95% CI, 1.16–8.77), lack of training adjusted odd ratio (AOR = 2.5 (95% CI, 1.07–5.93), and less than five years of work experience (AOR = 3.6 (95% CI, 1. 29–9.830). Conclusion The majority of nurses had inadequate knowledge of managing sepsis. On the other hand, the majority of nurses had a favourable attitude toward sepsis management. Lack of prior training, a low level of education, and less than five years of work experience were all significantly associated with nurses’ poor knowledge regarding sepsis management. This study recommends that hospital managers should provide on-the-job and long-term training for nurses working in the emergency department to enhance the level of nurses’ knowledge towards sepsis management at their institutions.