Chest drainage in clinical practice - how much do we think we know?

Background: Non-surgical departments have a growing need for the intervention of thoracic surgeons in resolving complications in patients with chest drain. Based on these data, there was a need for the formation of education of nurses about chest drainage. Objective was feedback on the effectiveness of nursing education. Aim: 1) To determine the initial level of knowledge about chest drainage of participants. 2) To determine the level of knowledge of participants after completing the course. Method: Data were collected from conducted courses in 2016 and 2017 year. The total number of participants was 417. The instrument used in the study was a questionnaire of knowledge designed to meet the needs of the research and evaluation of the course. The questionnaire contained 25 questions in seven thematic units. Results: 1) Average knowledge in the initial test was 65%, in the range of 9-99%. 2) The average passage on the final test of knowledge was 84%, ranging from 22 to 99%. The average improvement in the results among the groups is 19%, ranging from 8 to 69%. Conclusion: Given the proportion of patients in the general population with pulmonary issues, there is a need for continuing education of nurses, as well as all professionals who take care of patients with chest drain.