Assessment of practice and barriers of oxygen therapy in critically ill patients among nurses: A survey from University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital Northwest, Ethiopia, 2021

Background: Administering oxygen therapy plays an essential role in preventing and managing acute and chronic hypoxemia. This study assesses the level of practice of nurses on oxygen therapy in critically ill patients and associated factors. Methods: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted from May 23 to June 07, 2021, at the University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia. A self-administered structured and validated questionnaire was used. It has a socio-demographic characteristics, multiple choice questions, items that measure the possible associated factors and items were used to assess level of knowledge. Data were entered using Epi-data version 4.6 and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Descriptive and inferential statistics were analyzed and presented. The Chi-Square test was used to measure the strength of associations between variables. Binary and multiple logistic regression were used, a p-value of < 0.2 and < 0.05 were considered statistically significant, respectively. Results: A total of 400 nurses participated in the study, with a response rate of 94.8%. The overall proportion of good practice on oxygen therapy for critically ill patients was 47% (95% CI: 43-51.8). Age > 39 years (AOR; 3.17, 95% CI: 1.42-7.08), nurses have good knowledge on oxygen therapy (AOR; 1.74, 95% CI: 1.11-2.74), labeling of the volume of the cylinder after use (AOR; 2.51, 95% CI: 1.36-4.63), were significantly associated with good practice on oxygen therapy in critically ill patients. Conclusions and recommendations: We concluded that there was a gap in the practice of oxygen therapy among nurses. Therefore, regular educational and training programs about oxygen therapy are needed to increase the level of practice among nurses. In addition practical training sessions should be organized for nurses to update their practice on the latest guidelines on oxygen therapy for critical ill patients.