Nurses’ Knowledge, Practice, and Confidence after the Training Program on Wound Care at the Agriculture General Hospital in Vietnam

Abstract

Aims: Wound care is the basic technique in patient care which has direct effects on treatment outcome. However, the Agriculture General Hospital (AGH), Vietnam, has never organized a continuing professional development (CPD) training program based on Vietnam’s Basic Nursing Competency Standards (VNBNCS) for their nurses. This study aimed to examine the knowledge, practice, and confidence level among nurses at the AGH after 12 months of implementing a VNBNCS-based wound care training program. Methodology: This descriptive and comparative study assessed the changes in knowledge, practice, and confidence scores of 43 nurses at five clinical departments before and 12 months after the training program (April 2018 to June 2019). Data were collected using a self-administrated knowledge questionnaire with 48 items, a 13-item confidence checklist, and a 16-item skills checklist. EpiData 3.1 and SPSS 18.0 were used to enter and analyze data, respectively. Results: The mean scores of knowledge (113.70 ± 14.75 vs. 129.7 ± 19.6), and practice (63.21 ± 19.99 vs. 132.07 ± 4.31) statistically significantly increased 12 months after training (p < 0.001). The mean score of confidence in performing wound care increased in all of the 13 aspects (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Nurses’ wound care-related knowledge, practice, and confidence have improved 12 months after training. This demonstrates the VNBNCS-based wound care training program developed by Viet Duc University Hospital is suitable for use in the AGH and has achieved its promising initial outcomes. This program should be duplicated in other health facilities.