Orthopaedic nurses' knowledge and awareness of the prevention and identification of deep vein thrombosis

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore orthopaedic nurses' knowledge and awareness of the prevention and identification of DVT. Literature on DVT management and drug prophylaxes is vast, however, no literature on nurses' knowledge and awareness of DVT prevention and identification was found. This identifies both a gap in the literature and the importance of this study. A descriptive non-experimental design was used. Self-administered questionnaire build on the literature review was used to fulfil the study' s aim. Twenty two orthopaedic nurses working in a local hospital were included in the study. These represent the total population eligible for this study. A response rate of 100% was obtained. The findings of this study suggest that the orthopaedic nurses are well informed on areas which they practice on a daily bases such as the prophylactic drugs used locally but they are not up to date with recent literature. This implies that their knowledge emerges from their practice rather than from the literature. Some recommendations are made including the initiation to employ the DVT risk assessment tools in the orthopaedic wards and to carry out an observational study to explore the impact of nurses' knowledge and awareness of DVT on nurses' practice.