Evaluating the knowledge of intensive care unit nursing staff

Aims: Nurses with sufficient knowledge are effective in improving the quality of nursing cares especially in critical units. Knowledge is one of the most features of critical care nurses. The aim of this study was evaluation of nurses’ knowledge in critical care units. Methods: In this descriptive-analytic study, one hundred cardiac and intensive care units' nursing staff working in hospitals affiliated to Semnan University of Medical Sciences were selected randomly. The knowledge of these nurses about critical care issues was evaluated by questionnaire and analyzed by Chi square test using SPSS 11 software. Results: The knowledge of nurses about critical care issues was low to moderate. There was no significant difference between the knowledge mean and sex, age, setting, work station and work experience. Conclusion: The critical care nursing staff need more and special information about their duties. So it is recommended to reduce the volume of courses according to real educational needs of nurses and pay more attention to modifying professional nursing courses in different fields and its application.