Background. In modern intensive care management of critical problems, there is need to intensify the efforts in the field of advanced technological education to make the staff nurses highly aware regarding the use of therapeutic equipments & to further widen their cognitive map so as to get fruitful results in the years to come. Objectives.1) Determine the knowledge of staff nurses regarding the use of selected therapeutic & diagnostic equipments. 2) Find out the association between the knowledge of staff nurses regarding the use of selected therapeutic &diagnostic equipments with selected demographic variables.
Design. Non-experimental descriptive research design.
Methods. This study was carried out in a group of sixty registered staff nurses working at various clinical setting of selected hospital of Bhubaneswar. Samples were selected by Non-Probability Convenient Sampling technique. A structured Questionnaire was administered to collect both demographic data & data on the knowledge of Staff Nurses.
Results. Results revealed that 53% of the total sample has good knowledge on selected therapeutic/diagnostic equipments. The mean percentage score regarding the use of mechanical ventilator was 70.2%. , the use of AED was 72.6% & ECG was 70.5%. There was significant association between knowledge of staff nurses regarding the use of selected diagnostic &therapeutic equipment with age as the Chi-Square value was 7.61
Conclusions. After analysis & interpretation of data a guideline was developed & planned to implement in the hospital for the staff nurses regarding the use of the selected therapeutic &diagnostic equipments
Relevance to clinical practice.
Nursing a patient by using therapeutic equipment is a challenge for the nurses so there is a specific need of training to the health care team within the unit according to standardized management practices
