Assessment of Knowledge, Practice, and Associated Factors Towards Airway and Breathing Management Among Nurses Working in the Emergency Departments of Selected Public Hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND: As airway issues or respiratory failures are the leading causes of death in the first hours after an injury, nurses’ understanding and practice of fundamental airway and breathing therapies remain “cornerstones” of competent emergency care. As a result, the goal of this study was to evaluate nurses’ airway and breathing management knowledge, practice, and associated factors in the emergency departments of selected governmental hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. METHODS: During the study period of April 12 to April 30, 2021, a cross-sectional survey was conducted with a thorough enumeration of all respondents using the census method. The data were collected from the respondents using a self-administered and structured questionnaire. Data quality was ensured by pre-testing the tools and giving data collectors training. The data were analyzed using the SPSS version 25 program. The researchers used mean, frequency, bivariable, and multiple logistic regression analyses. Only P-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: A total of 102 people took part in this study, with a 96.2% response rate. Females made up slightly more than half of the respondents 52.9%, and their ages ranged from 24 to 48 years old, with a mean age of 29.50 (SD ± 4.96). Only 45.1% of those polled were well versed in the emergency airway and breathing management. About 90.2% of the respondents had a BSc degree. At p< 0.05, having previously received airway and breathing management training was statistically correlated with knowledge. CONCLUSION: Although many of the practice problems were correctly answered, the respondents in this study had insufficient knowledge of airway and breathing management. As a result, it is critical to give nursing training because it is strongly linked to the knowledge and practice of nurses.