Purpose
The purpose of this study is to identify the educational needs of nurses in
managing patients with a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD).
Methods
For this cross-sectional descriptive study, we conducted an online survey
of nurses from two te...
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to identify the educational needs of nurses in
managing patients with a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD).
Methods
For this cross-sectional descriptive study, we conducted an online survey
of nurses from two tertiary medical centers in Seoul, Korea. Eligible nurses
were required to have at least one experience in managing patients undergoing
LVAD. A total of 128 nurses participated in the survey from May 12th, 2021, to
May 21st, 2021. Nurses responded to questionnaires assessing
sociodemographic data, their experience with LVAD education programs, and
educational needs in managing patients with LVAD. Data were analyzed using
descriptive statistics, independent sample t-test, and paired sample t-test. To
prioritize the educational needs of managing individuals undergoing LVAD, we
used Borich's demand assessment model and The Locus for Focus model. Results
The results of this study are as follows.
1. Our sample consisted of 128 nurses. The vast majority of participants
were women (n = 120, 93.75%), and the mean age was of 31.85 years (SD =
6.018, range 24-51). Nurses reported an average of 7.4 years of nursing
experience (SD = 5.651, range 1-29) and an average of 5.18 years in working
with patients with cardiovascular conditions (SD = 4.559, range 0.4-23).
Nurses mostly worked in general wards (n = 65, 50.8%) or intensive care units
(n = 57, 44.5%).
Although 119 out of 128 nurses had educational experience managing LVAD
patients, they still reported high educational needs. Attending a lecture once a
year was the most commonly reported LVAD management training. Regarding
nurses’ perception of LVAD, the item with the lowest agreement was 'I enjoy
taking care of the LVAD patients.' The item with the highest agreement was 'I
am always interested in learning more about LVAD therapy.'
2. Participants’ degree of retention (current level of competence) was
lower than ‘the degree of importance’ (needed level of competence) in all
items regarding education needs (p < 0.001). The priority topics that emerged
through Borich’s Needs Assessment Model and The Locus for Focus Model
include: ‘CPR of LVAD Patient,’ ‘Crisis management on Power outage,’
‘Discharge education,’ ‘Post-operative Precautions before examination,’
‘Recognition of Emergencies,’ ‘LVAD Controller Changing Method,’
‘Preparation of Back-up controller,’ ‘LVAD alarm management,’
‘Contraindications of LVAD,’ and ‘Dressing method of LVAD driveline. We additionally compared priorities in educational needs between nurses
from general wards and nurses from intensive care units. In both general wards
and intensive care units, the topics that emerged as top priorities were ‘CPR of
LVAD Patient,’ ‘Crisis management on Power outage,’ ‘LVAD Controller
Changing Method,’ and ‘Preparation of Back-up controller.’ In nurses
working in general wards, other priorities were ‘Discharge education,’'Postoperative Precautions before an examination,’ 'Recognition of Emergencies,’
‘LVAD alarm management,’ ‘Showering after LVAD surgery,’ and
‘Meaning and Types of LVAD alarms.’ ‘LVAD pump setting method’ was
an additional priority for nurses working in intensive care units.
Conclusion
Overall, nurses were positive about LVAD as the last palliative option for
people with end-stage heart failure. They reported that they needed to improve
their competency in managing patients with LVAD. Nurses were very interested
in pursuing additional education about LVAD management. Among the ten
highest educational priorities, five topics were in the domain of ‘emergencies
management.’ Developing future education programs needs to consider
nurses’ priorities and training modalities to make more accessible and
sustainable programming.