Research suggests nurses may be unaware of VAP guidelines

(HealthDay)—Intensive care unit nurses' may have inadequate knowledge of evidence-based guidelines for ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) prevention, according to an Iranian study published online Feb. 4 in the Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine.

Using a questionnaire, Mohammadreza Yeganeh, from the Guilan University of Medical Sciences in Rasht, Iran, and colleagues assessed the intensive care unit nurses' knowledge of evidence-based guidelines for the prevention of VAP.

Based on 171 responses, the researchers found that mean knowledge score for the nine items was 4.63 (51.4 percent correct). There was no significant association between nurses' knowledge score and their work experience (P = 0.327), education degree (P = 0.189), or their position (P = 0.168).

"Although having knowledge about the principles of evidence-based care cannot guarantee the implementation of these principles, lack of knowledge may be a potential barrier to adherence to evidence-based guidelines for the prevention of VAP," the authors write.