The Assessment of End-Tidal Capnography Waveform Interpretation and Its Clinical Application for Emergency Residents in Malaysia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Aim:This study aimed to assess the adequacy of knowledge among emergency residents (ERs) and determine the correlation between the knowledge and practice of capnography waveform (CW).Materials and Methods:This 6-month questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted at the emergency department of a hospital. All ERs were included in this study. Respondents’ knowledge was evaluated by exploring their interpretation of CW according to clinical situations and their ability in making appropriate clinical decisions and management. Pearson correlation statistic was used to determine the correlation between knowledge and practice.Results:This study included 48 ERs. The mean scores for knowledge and practice (± standard deviation) were 5.69±1.82 and 4.40±1.8, respectively. No correlation was found between knowledge and practice (r=0.186, p=0.207).Conclusion:ERs’ ability to interpret CW was satisfactory. However, understanding the relevance of the CW findings and subsequent clinical management was poor.

Keywords

• emergency residents
• capnography waveform
• knowledge
• practice