Nurses' Supplemental Oxygen Therapy Knowledge and Practice in Debre Tabor General Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Oxygen therapy is a medical treatment and prescribed to prevent or treat hypoxemia. Based on a WHO report every year at least 1.4 million deaths occur due to the lack of supplemental oxygen therapy and inappropriate administration of oxygen. Objective: To assess the knowledge and practice of nurses on supplemental oxygen therapy in Debre Tabor General Hospital, 2019. Methods: Data was collected using structured questionnaires that measure nurses' knowledge and practice regarding supplemental oxygen therapy. Data were entered using Epi Data version 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS version 23. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to examine the association between independent and outcome variables. Results: Only one-third of nurses had a good practice on supplemental oxygen administration. Nurses who had good knowledge of supplemental oxygen administration were 12-times (AOR=12.25, 95% CI=6.48-32.93) more likely to have a good practice of supplemental oxygen administration than those who had poor knowledge of supplemental oxygen administration. Conclusion: There is a clear knowledge and practice gap among nurses working in Debre Tabor General Hospital. The knowledge and practice level of nurses in the study area is low compared with others. The possible factors were identified; such as lack of supplemental oxygen therapy training, absence of supplemental oxygen administration standard guidelines, workload, and inadequate supply of oxygen and delivery devices.