Factors of Nurses’ Knowledge on the Severity of Disease in Patients Post-Craniotomy with Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Abstract

The objectives of this research study were to assess nurses’ knowledge level and factors affecting the severity of the disease for patients post craniotomy. The samples were 60 register nurses and 60 patients after craniotomy with clipping aneurysm for subarachnoid hemorrhage at a hospital in Southern Thailand. The research instrument consisted of 2 parts: (1) a personal data record form and medical record, and (2) a questionnaire on the knowledge of nursing caring on patients. Content validity in instrument computed using the CVI = 1, reliability = 0.98. Data analysis was performed with multiple regression analysis. Research findings revealed that the nurse had high level of knowledge on their roles (Mean=4.21, SD=0.97). For the nursing care aspects, the knowledge on essential secretion suction procedure was at high level (Mean=4.60, SD=0.59). The overall knowledge, the training on critical care and the spectific knowledge on patient care such as turning over patients and appropriate posturing of head and neck were found to be associated with the severity the disease in patients post craniotomy with the percentage of 97.3 (R2 =0.973), 19.6 (R2 =0.196) and 17.2 (R2 =0.172), respectively. In addition, the overall knowledge and the training on critical care were also associated with the levels of disease severity like deep coma, stiffness decerebration, and moribund symptoms (R2 =0.502 and R2 =0.050, respectively).