Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Nurses Regarding Endotracheal Tube (ETT) Management in Tertiary Care Hospital Sheikh Zayed Lahore, Pakistan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61919/794c3b63Keywords:
endotracheal tube; nursing care; knowledge, attitude, and practice; intensive care unit; tertiary hospital; PakistanAbstract
Background: Endotracheal tube (ETT) management is a critical component of intensive care nursing, with deficiencies in knowledge or practice contributing to preventable complications among mechanically ventilated patients. Local evidence on nurses’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding ETT care in Pakistani tertiary hospitals is limited. Objective: To assess nurses’ knowledge and practices related to ETT management in a tertiary care hospital in Lahore, Pakistan, and to examine the associations among knowledge, practice, and nursing care quality, as well as the impact of ETT-specific training. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 218 registered nurses working in intensive and critical care units. Data were collected using a structured, self-administered questionnaire assessing demographics, ETT-related knowledge, attitudes, practices, and a composite nursing care score. Descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, Pearson’s correlations, and multiple linear regression were applied. Results: Most participants were female (85.8%) and aged 21–30 years (85.3%); 88.5% had received ETT training. Knowledge was high for core concepts but lower for skin assessment and tube repositioning. Infection-control practices were widely observed, though pre-oxygenation and auscultation before suctioning were less consistent. Knowledge and practice correlated strongly with nursing care (r = 0.70 and r = 0.85, respectively; p < 0.001). ETT-trained nurses had significantly higher knowledge and practice scores (p < 0.001). Regression showed practice (β = 0.75, p < 0.001) and knowledge (β = 0.15, p = 0.04) independently predicted nursing care quality. Conclusion: Practical competency, reinforced by structured ETT training, is the strongest determinant of high-quality ETT-related nursing care in intensive care settings.
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