Assessment of nurses' knowledge of the prevention of hospital-associated venous thromboembolism in a tertiary health institution in Nigeria

Abstract

Objective: This study assessed the level of nurses' knowledge of the prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in a tertiary health institution. Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 328 eligible respondents, selected using a random sampling method in a teaching hospital in Nigeria. A self-administered structured questionnaire was used to collect data on the basic knowledge, risk factors, and preventive measures of VTE. Results: Findings from the study revealed that 51.2% scored above the mean score of 28.6 ± 3.1. The educational status of the respondents had a significant influence on their knowledge of risk factors of VTE (F = 4.696, P = 0.031). Conclusion: The overall knowledge of nurses is satisfactory, although the majority could not answer correctly questions on the administration of prefilled anticoagulants and identification of some key risk factors of VTE.

Keywords

• deep vein thrombosis
• hospital-associated
• nursing
• pulmonary embolism
• venous thromboembolism