Assessment Nurses' Pitfalls of Lumbar Puncture Procedure for Children with Meningitis

Abstract

Background: Meningitis is an inflammation and swelling of the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord. It could be fatal or cause serious lasting side effects. It is imperative that pediatric nurses have the knowledge and training related to lumbar puncture to ensure a positive process for child. Purpose of the study was: to assess nurses' pitfalls of lumbar puncture procedure for children with meningitis. Design: A descriptive design was utilized. Setting, this study was conducted in Shebin El-Kom Fever Hospital in Menoufia Governorate in Egypt. Sample: A convenient sample of seventy nurses worked at the previously mentioned setting. All hospitalized children with meningitis were exposed to lumbar puncture procedure throughout the period of data collection were included in the study. Two tools were utilized for data collection, I-A Structured interviewing questionnaire and, II-An Observational checklist. Results: It revealed that there were highly statistically significant differences between nurses' pitfalls on pretest Conclusion, most of studied nurses have nursing pitfalls related to lumbar puncture. .Recommendation: pediatric nurses should update their knowledge and performance through continued nursing education, training, and frequently attending seminars and conferences based on their needs assessment.