NURSE’S KNOWLEDGE ABOUT IMPLANTABLE PACEMAKER CARE FOR ADULT PATIENTS WITH HEART FAILURE

Abstract

Background: Pacemaker may be a supportive therapeutic modality won’t to control long-term cardiac rhythm problems to save patients' lives from complications as sudden death. Nurse plays an important role for caring cardiac pacemaker patients.

Objective: To evaluate the Nurse’s Knowledge about Implantable Pacemaker Care for Adult Patients with Heart Failure

Method: A Descriptive study was performed on 40 nurses, who were working at Institute of cardiology, and caring the patients with implantable pacemaker in the intensive care unit at Bahawal Victoria Hospital, Bahawalpur. A self–administered questionnaire and an observational checklist. The researcher integrated nurse’s Knowledge focused on analysis data collected during caring patients with permanent pacemaker implantation. This phase had effects on nurses' knowledge based on patient adherence with pacemaker care practice and performing activity of daily living.

Results: The results showed statistically significant improvements in the knowledge of nurses (p<0.001) and also, across all aspects of patient’s adherence care practice and performing activity daily living after implementation (P=0.000*). This showed that 87.5% of nurses passed with high level of knowledge in nursing care for adult patients with pacemakers, while 12.5% had moderate level of knowledge. In addition, the undergraduate nurses have significantly higher level of knowledge than diploma nurses with a P-value of 0.001.

Conclusion: Nurses caring patients with implantable pacemaker have excellent knowledge, that patients showed better adherence with pacemaker care activities and increase independency for performing activity daily living. Moreover, it’s a significant association has been found between education level with their knowledge scores.