Nurses' Performance Regarding Caring of Patients with Angina Attack at Emergency and Critical Care Units.

Abstract

Background: Angina pectoris is considered chest pain due to insufficient coronary artery blood flow and increased myocardial oxygen demand. Stable angina is a chronic disease that can progress to unstable angina or myocardial infarction. Lifestyle modification, medications, and cardiac intervention/ cardiothoracic surgery all play a part in its management. Aim of the study: To evaluate nurses' performance regarding caring of patients with angina attack at emergency and critical care units. Subjects and method: Anexploratory descriptive design was used to conduct this study on fifty nurses who are associated with giving direct care for patients in the emergency and critical care units at Alazhar University Hospital at new Damietta city. Data were collected by using two tools: Nurses' knowledge assessment questionnaire to assess nurses' knowledge regarding angina and observational checklists to assess their practices. The resultsof the present study concluded that 70% of studied nurses had a fair level of knowledge, while 62% of them had a fair knowledge score regarding angina care. As regarding practice, 60%of the studied sample had fair level of practice. There was a significant difference between level of nurses' knowledge and their practiceconcerning care, as well as highly statistical significant difference between nurses' characteristics; qualifications, job, and years of experience and their level of knowledge regarding care of patient. This study recommended that to improve nurses' performance regarding caring of patients with anginaeducational program should be conductedcontinuously.