ICU nurses’ knowledge, attitude and behavior about ICU acquired weakness

Abstract

Background and objective: Intensive care unit (ICU) acquired weakness (ICU-AW) is muscle weakness caused by neuromuscular dysfunction, which can cause muscle mass and muscle strength decline, and is one of the common complications of ICU. ICU-AW can affect patients' daily activities and long-term quality of life. We sought to understand the current knowledge, attitude and behavior of ICU nurses relative to ICU-AW, and analyze the factors influencing the knowledge, attitude and behavior.

Methods: Design: A cross-sectional survey. A survey was conducted of 236 ICU nurses using a self-designed questionnaire.

Results: The knowledge, attitude and behavior scores of ICU nurses were 17.05 ± 6.003, 17.47 ± 5.538 and 19.84 ± 5.100, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that education level, previous exposure to ICU-AW and ICU-AW-related knowledge were the three factors affecting ICU nurses' knowledge of ICU-AW. Education level and previous exposure to ICU-AW were the two factors affecting attitude. Education level and ICU-AW-related knowledge were the factors influencing nurses’ behavior (p < .05).

Conclusions: ICU nurses have a lower knowledge and attitude score on ICU-AW and a higher score on ICU-AW intervention practice. Relevance to clinical practice: ICU nurses need to acquire more theoretical knowledge and deepen their understanding of ICU-AW, so as to prevent the incidence of ICU-AW.