Critical care nurses' knowledge of pulmonary artery catheters

BACKGROUND: Earlier studies indicate that nurses and physicians have a knowledge deficit regarding pulmonary artery catheters. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate critical care nurses' knowledge of pulmonary artery catheters. METHODS: A 31-item, multiple-choice questionnaire was administered to 168 critical care nurses from institutions in a southern California metropolitan area. Fourteen demographic questions were included to determine variables such as critical care nursing experience, educational background, work area, and frequency of pulmonary artery catheter use that may have affected participants' scores. The investigators traveled to the institutions to explain and conduct the study. RESULTS: The mean knowledge score was 16.4 of 29 questions (56.8% items correct), with a standard deviation of 3.74. The range of correct scores was 8 to 25. Two questions were not factored into the statistical analysis because they were specific to the physician's role in pulmonary artery catheter insertion. The variables that correlated with higher scores were CCRN certification, attendance at a pulmonary artery catheter class, years of critical care experience, and frequent use of the pulmonary artery catheter. Of the respondents, 39% were unable to identify a pulmonary artery wedge measurement value from a waveform recording. CONCLUSIONS: Critical care nurses' knowledge of pulmonary artery catheters is related directly to the frequency of their exposure to it, critical care nursing experience, attendance at a pulmonary artery catheter class, and CCRN certification. Additional research is needed on a larger scale to validate these findings and determine if critical care nurses' knowledge of pulmonary artery catheters is sufficient to maintain quality standards of safety and optimal patient care.