ABSTRACT
Aim:The present study aimed to investigate nurses' knowledge about the care provided to pre-eclamptic patients in a tertiary care centre in Romania. Study design:A cross sectional study. Setting:This study was conducted in Polizu Clinical Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Bucharest, Romania, from early January 2019 to the end of February 2019. Subjects:Sixty five nurses working at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department. Data analysis:Data were collected using a self-administered structured questionnaire and they were analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics 20 and Microsoft Office Excel/Word 2013. Tools:Two tools were used for data collection. Tool I: Assessment sheet to collect data regarding nurses' general characteristics; and Tool II: A questionnaire to evaluate nurses' knowledge and practices regarding the management of pre-eclampsia/eclampsia. Results:About 73.8% of nurses confirmed that they participated in educational programs in the obstetrics field; 10.8% of them confirmed that they participated in training programs for pre-eclampsia/eclampsia, 47.7% gave the right answer when they were asked to correctly identify the definition of eclampsia, 78.5% answered correctly to the proper identification of proteinuria in pregnancy definition, only 9.2% gave the right answer when asked to properly identify chronic hypertension, 40% chose the right answer when asked to correctly identify gestation ages for antenatal use of corticosteroids to improve neonatal result, and 70.8% answered correctly to the proper identification of the best anticonvulsant for severe pre-eclampsia/ eclampsia. Conclusion:Continuous professional development is critical in nurses' work in both theory and clinical practice. Unfortunately, this study identified wide gaps in the knowledge of nurses about pre-eclampsia/ eclampsia, including their assessment, diagnosis and management. This is a major concern as globally, severe pre-eclampsia and eclampsia result in 70 000 maternal deaths annually. Recommendations:Improving nurse's awareness regarding nursing knowledge and practices through educational programs aimed to encourage them to use best evidence-based practices in their daily practice and reducing maternal and child mortality by pre-eclampsia/eclampsia in Romania.
ABSTRACT
Romania has drastically improved an array of health indicators in recent years, including maternal mortality rates, which decreased from 1990 to 2015, but the mortality rates are still high, ranking among the first in Europe. Preeclampsia and eclampsia constitute one of the primary causes of maternal death in the country. The study was conducted from early January to the end of February 2019 to assess the current state of resident physicians' and midwives' knowledge of preeclampsia and eclampsia reflected in their practice at a clinical hospital in southern Romania. Self-administered questionnaires were used for data collection. Most of the investigated resident physicians and midwives (87.5%) answered correctly regarding the correct definition of preeclampsia. The first choice of procedure for the patient with preeclampsia (vaginal delivery or C-section) was chosen correctly by only 37.5% of the participants. Regarding the correct identification of the necessary paraclinical tests used for women with suspected preeclampsia, 58.3% of the participants answered correctly. As far as the correct identification of the possible risks of dexamethasone administration to mothers is concerned, only 29.2% of the participants answered correctly. Also, 58.3% of the participants answered correctly regarding the correct identification of contraindicated uterotonic drugs for women with diagnosed hypertension. Resident physicians and midwives are aware of pregnancy complications, but they hold limited knowledge specific to pregnancy complications as preeclampsia and eclampsia. It is imperative to promote studies to evaluate the impact of enhancing their training to include additional content related to the early detection and management of preeclampsia and eclampsia.
