Parenteral Nutrition Administration by Critical Care Nurses in Iran

Abstract

In Iran, nurses are responsible for administering parenteral nutrition (PN) to hospitalized patients in intensive care units (ICUs). However, little information is available among nurses in Iran regarding best practices in PN administration. This study evaluates the performance of critical care nurses in Iran in the administration of PN. The performance of 50 nurses in the administration of PN in the ICU was observed 3 times during a 5-month period for a total of 150 observations. A researcher-developed checklist, “Critical Care Nurses' Performance in Parenteral Nutrition Administration,” was used for data collection. The total score in this checklist ranged from 0 to 52. Based on the procedural steps in the checklist and whether the steps were performed appropriately, nurses' performance was scored as poor, moderate, or good. The mean score of nurses' performances in PN administration skills was 24.6 ± 2.5. This study found that 46 nurses had moderate skill levels in PN administration, and 3 demonstrated poor skills. Overall, the results indicated that critical care nurses in Iran have poor to moderate PN administration skills.

Assessment of Critical Care Nurses’ Knowledge and Practice Regarding Care of Patients Undergoing Total Parenteral Nutrition

“…However, slightly less than a third of them did not do this in order to prevent hypoglycemia. This study contradicts the findings of Taherkhani et al (5) , whose research found that Iranian ICU nurses have only rudimentary knowledge of how to handle TPN withdrawal safely. However, Othman & Ahmed (19) found that nurses' practices were bad at Rapareen Public Hospital.…”

“…Our results showed that over two thirds of the nurses in the sample were wed. According to Taherkhani et al (5) the majority (or more specifically, two-thirds) of the nurses under study were females, and roughly as many were married.…”

“…The inherent variation in nursing practice can be reduced, and the efficacy of dietary practices can be preserved, when adherence to evidence-based principles is ensured. As the provision of nutritional support is one of the most important elements of a critical care nurse's caring role, they should have proper knowledge and practice regarding administering TPN (5) .…”

Nursing staff knowledge of parenteral nutrition – preliminary report

“…In a study by Ameri et al [11], none of the demographic information such as age, work experience, level of education, type of employment, and parenteral nutrition courses influenced the nurses' practices and knowledge scores. A statistical analysis in a study by Taherkhani et al [14] showed no significant difference in the mean score of nurses with different work…”

Avaliação do conhecimento da equipe de enfermagem em terapia nutricional: teste antes e depois

“…Evidenciado este contexto, em 2004, um estudo qualitativo atribuiu as dificuldades provocadas pelo pouco conhecimento dos profissionais sobre a NP e a dificuldade da continuidade do cuidado de enfermagem por esses profissionais 14 . Esse cenário foi ratificado em um estudo do Irã que destacou o pobre conhecimento dos enfermeiros na NP, divergindo dos resultados encontrados neste estudo 18 . Cabe ainda salientar a grande dificuldade de encontrar artigos relacionados às práticas seguras em terapia nutricional em âmbito nacional, o que resulta em um cuidado baseado em diretrizes totalmente internacionais 19 .…”