Abstract
Objective: To assess the knowledge about dysrhythmias among the paramedical healthcare professionals working in a multidisciplinary intensive care unit (ICU) of a tertiary care hospital.
Design: This was a single-center descriptive cross-sectional survey performed using a self-administered questionnaire.
Setting: This study was carried out in a multidisciplinary ICU of a tertiary care hospital from June to November 2024.
Participants: Nurses, critical care technologists, and nurse practitioners in critical care working in a multidisciplinary ICU were enrolled in the survey. A total of 100 participants who completed the questionnaire were enrolled in the survey.
Measurements and results: The majority of the participants were females (73%), and 58% had less than two years of experience. The overall score of the study cohort was 70.29±16.29, with only 4% able to answer all questions correctly. The observed level of knowledge of the paramedical healthcare professionals was good (above 75%), average (50-75%), and poor (less than 50%) in 45%, 48%, and 7% of participants, respectively. The majority of them were unable to identify ventricular fibrillation and sinus tachycardia, whereas 93% of them could identify the appropriate management for sinus bradycardia. In our study, we found no association between their knowledge and experience in the ICU or with their role in the ICU.
Conclusions: In this study, the participants exhibited varied levels of knowledge in understanding the underlying causes, accurately identifying the dysrhythmia, and management skills with a notable gap in identifying the dysrhythmias.
BabySailaja K, Renuka MK
