Practices of tracheal suctioning technique among health care professionals for hospitalized adult patients at tertiary care hospital Karachi, Pakistan

Date of Award

2013

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Nursing (MScN)

Department

School of Nursing and Midwifery, Pakistan

Abstract

Abstract Background Tracheal suctioning is one of the critical nursing interventions which facilitate effortless breathing patterns through effective secretion management. However; it is associated with mild injury to the life threatening arrhythmias and, sometimes with cardiac arrest. Therefore, it requires competence to carry out this intervention in order to prevent complications in patients. Objectives This study aimed to assess the compliance of tracheal suctioning practices against the standard guidelines of AKUH, with regard to the participants' professional characteristics and the nursing working shifts. Method Forty health care professionals (HCPs) were assessed twice, using a quantitative structured observational design, for tracheal suctioning practices, in one of the surgical care units at a tertiary care hospital (TCH). The study used Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) tracheal suctioning policy as a tool, the inter-rater reliability of which was tested and each step showed the Kappa value of 0.65 to 1.000. Ethical approval was also obtained from the AKUH ethics review committee (ERC), prior to the study. Data was analyzed using epidata info version3.5.1 and SPSS version 19. Background Tracheal suctioning is one of the critical nursing interventions which facilitate effortless breathing patterns through effective secretion management. However; it is associated with mild injury to the life threatening arrhythmias and, sometimes with cardiac arrest. Therefore, it requires competence to carry out this intervention in order to prevent complications in patients. Objectives This study aimed to assess the compliance of tracheal suctioning practices against the standard guidelines of AKUH, with regard to the participants' professional characteristics and the nursing working shifts. Method Forty health care professionals (HCPs) were assessed twice, using a quantitative structured observational design, for tracheal suctioning practices, in one of the surgical care units at a tertiary care hospital (TCH). The study used Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) tracheal suctioning policy as a tool, the inter-rater reliability of which was tested and each step showed the Kappa value of 0.65 to 1.000. Ethical approval was also obtained from the AKUH ethics review committee (ERC), prior to the study. Data was analyzed using epidata info version3.5.1 and SPSS version 19. Findings The study findings indicate a low level of compliance in tracheal suctioning practices among HCPs. From a total of 80 observations, only 30% of the observations showed compliance; however, 50% of the observations depicted partial compliance whereas, 20% indicated non-compliance at all. This study also highlighted a significant difference in the level of compliance with regard to working shifts (P=0.026). Conclusion The study results highlight the need for improving the overall compliance with the tracheal suctioning guidelines to minimize the adverse effects and enhance patient safety related to tracheal suctioning practices. The current study also provides an opportunity to motivate the HCPs compliant in the practices of tracheal suctioning by appreciate their competence.

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