Impact of Educational Program Regarding Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia Bundle on Critical Care Nurses'''' Knowledge and Practices

Abstract

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is considered as a leading cause of infection related mortality and morbidity in intensive care units (ICUs) together with increasing the length of ICU stay and raising the cost of antibiotic treatment of VAP especially in developing countries. Education of ICU healthcare providers is widely viewed as a fundamental measure in reducing VAP. So, this study aimed to assess the effectiveness of educational program onknowledge regarding care bundle on prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia among intensive care unit nurses.Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is one of the most common hospital-acquired infections. It is a form of nosocomial pneumonia that occurs in patients undergoing mechanical ventilation for longer than 48 hours. Recently reported VAP rates range from 1 to 4 cases per 1000 ventilator days in industrialized countries and up to 13 cases per 1000 ventilator days in developing countries. VAP is the most serious health care-associated infection and is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality from device-associated infections, especially in the intensive care unit (ICU). Attributable mortality rate estimates vary from 10% to 65%, with a mean of about 30%.2 Furthermore, VAP has long been recognized as a cause of prolonged ICU stays and increased hospital costs. An increase of 7 to 9 days in ICU stay has been reported for a patient with VAP, and Kollef et al5 reported in 2012 that the cost per patient increases by US$40 000 when the patient has VAP.