Knowledge and practice of nurses regarding the care of patients with head trauma in intensive care units in the West Bank

BACKGROUND: Nurses in the intensive care unit are responsible for the continuous assessment and management of physiological parameters associated with head trauma. Nurses have a vital and significant role in the care of patients suffering from moderate-to-severe head trauma, both during acute and non-acute care. The purpose of this study was to investigate the Knowledge and Practice of nurses regarding the care of patients with head trauma in an intensive care unit. DESIGN AND METHODS: The study was designed as a cross-sectional study. The study recruited 165 nurses who work at intensive care unit (ICU) nurses in Palestinian hospitals. The data collected by a self-administered questionnaire developed by the researcher. RESULTS: Among the 165 intensive nurses, the study findings revealed the majority of nurses 99 (60.0%) have low level knowledge regarding Care of Patients with a head trauma, and showed that most of the nurses 115 (69.7%) have poor level practice regarding Care of Patients with a head trauma. CONCLUSIONS: According to the results of the current study, approximately two-thirds of the studied nurses had unsatisfactory knowledge level regarding head trauma care. More than two-thirds of the studied nurses had poor level practice regarding head trauma care. Also, the study confirmed no statistical significant relation between knowledge and demographic characteristics. There was significant differences between total practice scores and both experience in general and experience in ICU.