Nurses’ knowledge of chest drain care: an exploratory descriptive survey

Abstract

Chest drains are a common feature of patients admitted to acute respiratory or cardio-thoracic surgery care areas. Chest drains are either inserted intraoperatively or as part of the conservative management of a respiratory illness or thoracic injury. Anecdotally, there appears to be a lack of consensus among nurses on the major principles of chest drain management. Many decisions tend to be based on personal factors rather than sound clinical evidence. This inconsistency of treatment regimes, together with the lack of evidence-based nursing care, creates a general uncertainty regarding the care of patients with chest drains. This study aimed to identify the nurses' levels of knowledge with regard to chest drain management. The research objective of this study was to describe the nurses' levels of knowledge regarding the care of the patient with chest drains. The data were collected using survey method. The results of the study revealed deficits in knowledge in a select group of nurses. Several service-led options exist with regard to improving knowledge in this area, such as service study days as well as ward-based tutorials. However, in an era of increasing accountability together with the impetus for each nurse to provide evidence-based care, it is crucial for individual nurse responsibility in the pursuit of knowledge in this area. Nurses must be supported by local practice development and through personal portfolio use to identify gaps in knowledge and seek appropriate training and resources.

Nurses’ Knowledge Levels of Chest Drain Management: A Descriptive Study

“…In the other studies conducted on the management of patients with chest tubes, the mean scores that the nurses obtained from the information questions and their descriptive and occupational characteristics were not compared (4,6). The average scores obtained from the information questions involving the nurses who worked in the operating room and surgical units and who encountered patients with chest tubes every day were found to be higher in the present study.…”

“…In the study, 35.3% of the nurses marked the expression regarding routinely milking and stripping the chest tube in order to prevent tube clogging as the correct answer. The ratio of the same expression was 29.6% in the study of Lehwaldt and Timmins (6). The fact that the literature does not provide a clear description on this subject suggests that uncertainty and confusion may have reflected to the practice.…”

The usefulness of Wi-Fi based digital chest drainage system in the post-operative care of pneumothorax

“…Sometimes fatal errors are committed by nurses or junior clinicians during these procedures. To deal with traditional bottle system, much time and effort should be given to educate and train nurses (5,6). Underwater-seal system also restricts patients to ambulate or to do daily activity.…”

Keeping Patients Safe During Intrahospital Transport

“…One recommendation is never to clamp chest tubes during transport. 27,56 Portable suction is required for pneumothoraces with large air leaks 27 and also may be considered for chest tubes with large output, bleeding, and patients with high ventilatory requirements. For patients without these problems, chest tube to water seal, off suction for transport, then reconnected to wall suction at destination is usually well tolerated, although this suggestion is based only on experience.…”

“…56 Regarding multiple chest tubes, the number of suction outlets available at procedure locations is typically limited. An idea for managing multiple chest tubes on suction is to connect suction tubing together with "Y" connectors so that multiple suction chambers can run off of 1 suction outlet.…”