Training program impact on nurses' knowledge and practice regarding obstetric triage

Abstract

Introduction: Patients frequently make their first contact with the birth unit through the nurse in the obstetric triage unit. Also, in order to prevent denial and delay in providing the necessary care, the triage unit nurse plays a crucial role in recognizing patients who present with urgent or emergent conditions. Thus, an important part of the triage unit for nurses' orientation is the Obstetric Triage Education course, which is the first course to cover obstetric triage unit nursing care. Aim: evaluate nurses' knowledge and practice regarding obstetric triage. Research Design: The current research used a quasi-experimental pre/post-test design. Setting: Conducted at delivery, Labor, Filter Clinic, and Highly Dependent Unit on Maternity and Child Minia University Hospital. Sample: A convenient sample of all nurses (63 nurses). Tools: Two tools; the first tool consisted of two parts a self-administered Questionnaire, the assessment of nurses' knowledge in relation to obstetric triage, and the second tool observational checklist to assess nurses' practice. Results: findings of this study demonstrated that no nurses had adequate knowledge as well as a satisfactory practice about triage. Also, 100% of them had inadequate knowledge as well as an unsatisfactory level of total practice about triage. Conclusion: there were positive correlations between total knowledge as well as total practice scores among the studied sample at 0.000 levels of statistical significance. Recommendation: Regular educational programs help nurses maintain and refresh their knowledge and practice regarding obstetric triage.