RESUMEN
Objectives: This study aimed to explore the attitudes of Omani nurses towards evidence-based practice [EBP] and their perceptions of the barriers to and facilitators of EBP implementation in Oman. In addition, the attitudes and perceptions of nurse leaders and staff nurses were compared
Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between August and October 2016 in three suburban governmental hospitals in Northern Oman. A demographic questionnaire and two EBP instruments were used to collect data from 282 registered Omani nurses, including the Evidence-Based Nursing Attitude Questionnaire and the Developing Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire
Results: A total of 260 Omani nurses took part in the study [response rate: 92.2%]. On the whole, the nurses had positive attitudes towards EBP, with no significant difference in mean attitude scores per item between staff nurses and nurse leaders [3.98 +/- 0.46 versus 4.03 +/- 0.50; P = 0.431]. However, in comparison to staff nurses, nurse leaders had higher scores per item for the barriers to changing practice and finding and reviewing evidence subsections,
with lower scores for the facilitators to changing practice section
Conclusion: In accordance with the international literature, Omani nurses had positive attitudes towards EBP as well as similar perceptions of barriers and facilitators to EBP implementation. These findings may help to inform recommendations for the integration of EBP in educational programmes and clinical settings in Oman, as well as to facilitate necessary changes in nursing practice
RESUMEN
Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine patterns of troponin testing in the emergency department of a large tertiary care hospital in Oman and to determine its effect on patient management, including length of hospital stay [LOS]
Methods: This retrospective study analysed the medical records of all adult patients undergoing troponin testing in the emergency department of the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman, during the month of July 2015. Patients who presented with an ST-elevation myocardial infarction were excluded
Results: A total of 4,845 patients attended the emergency department during the study period; of these, troponin tests were ordered for 588 patients. The majority of the patients had negative troponin test results [81.3%]. Chest pain, palpitations and breathlessness were the most common presenting complaints for those with positive troponin results. However, 41.8% of patients did not have any cardiac symptoms. Individuals with positive troponin tests had a significantly longer LOS compared to those with negative tests [mean: three versus one day; P = 0.001]. In total, only 28.2% of those with positive troponin test results had final diagnoses associated with a cardiac condition, such as heart failure, an acute coronary syndrome [ACS], atrial fibrillation or other types of arrhythmia
Conclusion: A positive troponin test was associated with increased LOS; however, only a small proportion of these patients had a final diagnosis associated with a cardiac condition. Guidelines should be provided to ensure that troponin testing is performed only in cases where an ACS is suspected