Factors associated with knowledge and practice regarding oxygen administration: A cross-sectional study among registered nurses working in wards and ICUs at Muhimbili National Hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Publisher: Public Library of Science Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101285081 Publication Model: eCollection Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1932-6203 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 19326203 NLM ISO Abbreviation: PLoS One Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: San Francisco, CA : Public Library of Science

Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice* ; Oxygen*/administration & dosage ; Oxygen Inhalation Therapy* ; Nurses* ; Nursing Staff, Hospital*; Humans ; Tanzania ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Male ; Adult ; Intensive Care Units ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Middle Aged

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Background: Oxygen is a vital therapy approved by WHO, crucial for critically ill patients as a supplemental treatment. Nurses' pivotal role in oxygen administration is poorly understood. This study aimed to assess factors associated with oxygen administration to critically ill patients among nurses at Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 208 nurses using a simple random technique to recruit respondents. Data were collected in May 2022 via a self-administered questionnaire, designed and tested by the authors. Mean knowledge and practice scores were used to categorize knowledge and practice as high or low respectively. The Chi-square test and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate factors associated with knowledge and practice regarding oxygen administration. Statistical significance was determined at a p-value less than 0.05.
Results: Of the 208 respondents, 96(46.2%) and 78(37.5%) had low knowledge and low practices regarding oxygen administration, respectively. Receiving in-service training on oxygen administration (AOR: 3.515; p<0.001) was positively associated with knowledge of oxygen administration. None of the factors showed a statistically significant association with the practice of oxygen administration.
Conclusion: A substantial proportion of nurses had inadequate knowledge and practices regarding oxygen administration. While none of the assessed factors were found to have a statistical association with practice on oxygen administration, it is important to note their clinical significance. Healthcare institutions can benefit from implementing regular in-service training programs to address these knowledge and skills gaps and ensure that nurses are well-prepared for proper oxygen administration. Additionally, ongoing monitoring and support are essential to help translate improved knowledge into effective clinical practices.
(Copyright: © 2025 Kimario et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

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S88TT14065 (Oxygen)

Date Created: 20250117 Date Completed: 20250501 Latest Revision: 20250501

20250502

PMC11737716

10.1371/journal.pone.0317620

39820588