Promoting Knowledge and Safety Measures Practice towards Occupational Hazards among Critical Care Nurses Working Long Shifts: The Effect of an Intervention Study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Master degree - Lt. Colonel - Military Medical Academy- Cairo

2 Assist. Professor - Nursing Administration Department- Faculty of Nursing - Cairo University,

3 Major General -Military Medical Academy-Cairo,

4 Professor of Public Health -Faculty of Medicine – Ain Shams University

10.12816/0029203

Abstract

Background: Critical care nurses are at risk of occupational hazards as they working longer
shifts, overtime, and extra shifts with some even extending to 24 consecutive hours shifts.
Aim of the study: To assess the effect of an intervention study on knowledge and safety
measures practice towards occupational hazards among critical care nurses ' working long
shifts. Research Design: A quasi-experimental, repeated measures design with a one-group < br />Pretest/posttest was selected to test participants at 3 pre-specified time points (initial,
immediately after training, and at 3months later after training). Setting: The study was
conducted in a Military hospital. Subject: A purposive sample consisted of (56) critical care
nurses Working long shifts who accepted to participate in the research and met the inclusion
criteria was included in the study. Tools of data collection: Three tools were designed
specifically to collect data of the present study ,the first tool composed of three main parts
of self-administered questionnaire as follows: 1) demographic characteristics data, 2)
educational needs assessment, 3) knowledge test (pre / post-test), second tool titiled Safety
measures practices observational checklist and third tool titiled Participants' reactions
questionnaire Results: A significant improvement in the studied participants’ total knowledge
and safety measures practice towards occupational hazards score was found in the post
educational intervention phases both immediate post intervention and follow up after three
months later in comparison to the pre- educational intervention. Conclusion: The
intervention tested in this study shows promise of being an effective approach to promot
knowledge and safety measures practice towards occupational hazards among critical care
nurses ' working long shifts. Recommendation: Mandatory regular educational intervention
must be planned to overcome the weak points of knowledge and safety measures practice
regarding all occupational hazards of critical care nurses, based on their needs, expectation.

Keywords