title: Nurses' knowledge of care of chest drain: A survey in a Nigerian semiurban university hospital.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Inefficient nursing care of chest drains may associated with unacceptable and sometimes life-threatening complications. This report aims to ascertain the level of knowledge of care of chest drains among nurses working in wards in a teaching hospital in Nigeria.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study among nurses at teaching hospital using pretested self-administered questionnaires.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The majority were respondents aged between 31 and 40 years (45.4%) and those who have nursing experience between 6 and 10 years. Only 37 respondents (26.2%) had a good knowledge of nursing care of chest drains. Knowledge was relatively higher among nurses who cared for chest drains daily, nurses who have a work experience of <10 years, low-rank nurses and those working in the female medical ward; however, the relationship were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Performance was poor on the questions on position of drainage system were not statistically significant with relationship to waist level while mobilizing the patient, application of suction to chest drains, daily changing of dressing over chest drain insertion site, milking of tubes and drainage system with dependent loop.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The knowledge of care of chest drains among nurses is poor, especially in the key post procedural care. There is an urgent need to train them so as to improve the nursing care of patients managed with chest drains.
authors: Department of Surgery, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Edo State, Nigeria.
authors: Emeka Blessius
authors: EB
authors: Kesieme
authors: Ifeanyichukwu Stanley
authors: IS
authors: Essu
authors: Bruno Jeneru
authors: BJ
authors: Arekhandia
authors: Katrin
authors: K
authors: Welcker
authors: Georgi
authors: G
authors: Prisadov
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015505:Chest Tubes; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004322:Drainage / Q000451:nursing*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009549:Nigeria; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital; D013383:Suburban Population; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires