A cross-sectional survey to assess the knowledge of nurses regarding acute kidney injury in a tertiary care hospital in Delhi

Abstract

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is growing as a serious manifestation of multiple etiologies globally. As majority of the admitted patients are in direct contact with nurses, nurses have a pivotal role in the early detection and management of AKI. Nurses must possess knowledge and information about AKI for its early detection and management. Aim: This study aimed to assess knowledge of nurses regarding AKI. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive survey was carried out in the emergency department and outpatient departments of selected hospital, New Delhi, over a period of 5 months. Eligibility criteria for inclusion included nurses working in the emergency department and outpatient departments, who can understand or read either English or Hindi language; and were willing to participate in the study. Two hundred and forty-five nurses were recruited as study samples using total enumerative sampling technique. Results: The results of the study revealed that majority 77.1% of the subjects had good knowledge regarding AKI and only 22.9% of participants had poor knowledge regarding AKI. Majority (i.e., 69.4%, 64.1%, 77.1%, and 84.1%) of nurses were familiar with causes of prerenal failure, the various modalities of treatment of AKI, cases that require dialysis, and complications of AKI, respectively. However, only 20.4% of subjects were aware of RIFLE criteria for AKI. Conclusion: The study identified that most of the nurses carry good knowledge regarding AKI, however, still knowledge is lacking in few important aspects pertaining to assessment and management of AKI, which needs to be considered by nursing administrators while planning in-service and continuing education for nurses.