title: Anaemia and iron deficiency in cardiac patients: what do nurses and allied professionals know?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cardiac nurses and allied professionals often take care of patients who also have anaemia or iron deficiency. To deliver optimal care, professionals should be knowledgeable about the prevalence, diagnosis, pathophysiology, and therapeutic management of these conditions. We therefore set out a survey to get a first impression on the current knowledge of nurses and allied professionals on anaemia and iron deficiency.
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire was designed for this study by the Undertaking Nursing Interventions Throughout Europe (UNITE) Study Group. Data were collected from 125 cardiovascular nurses and allied professionals visiting the 11th Annual Spring Meeting of the Council on Cardiovascular Nursing and Allied Professionals of the European Society of Cardiology.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most respondents had general knowledge on the definition of anaemia and iron deficiency and 54% of the respondents rated anaemia and iron deficiency as important when evaluating a cardiac patient. Specific knowledge regarding anaemia and more prominently of iron deficiency was not optimal.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although cardiac nurses and allied professionals have basic knowledge of anaemia and iron deficiency, they would benefit from additional knowledge and skills to optimally deliver patient care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Welfare studies, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, Norrköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Leonie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Verheijden Klompstra
authors.forename: Tiny
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jaarsma
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Moons
authors.forename: Tone M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Norekvål
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Martensson
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: Sabina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: De Geest
authors.forename: Mattie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lenzen
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Strömberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000488:Allied Health Personnel; D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000451:nursing / Q000628:therapy; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged