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Assessment of Intensive Care Nurse Knowledge and Perception of Eye Care Practice for Unconscious and Mechanically Ventilated Patients in Intensive Care Units in Saudi Arabia

Maram Abdulkhaleq Alghamdi*, Mervat Adham Ghaleb and Saher Elmetwaly Abdel Aal

Background: Eye care forms part of the care provided to all patients in acute care environments with impaired or compromised protective mechanisms. However, some hospital populations are at greater risk than others for developing complications during their stay. Aim: To identify intensive care nurses’ knowledge about eye care for unconscious and mechanically ventilated patients and to assess nurse’s perception of eye care practice for unconscious and mechanically ventilated patients by nurses them self. Methods: A descriptive cross sectional was used in this study using a well-structured questionnaire distributed to the willing nurses’ participants with implied consent attached to the tool. A total of 55 nurses from medical and surgical intensive care units were included in the study. Results: The total score of nurses’ knowledge of eye care revealed that less than half (46.7%) of intensive care unit (ICU) nurses have adequate knowledge and 40% have inadequate knowledge. Statistical significant difference between medical and surgical ICU nurses in 2 subtotal item in knowledge (p=0.045). The total nurses perception of eye care practice was 95.6% high acceptance perception regarding eye care practice with 98.2 median and 5.6 IQR and no significant difference was noticed between medical and surgical ICU nurses in total and subtotal score of perception. Conclusion: ICU nurses' level of knowledge concerning eye care of mechanically ventilated patients ranged between adequate and inadequate and did not reach satisfactory level. Moreover, nurses' perception showed high level of acceptance regarding eye care practice for mechanically ventilated patients but unfortunately this finding cannot be translated that clinical practice of eye care is good.