Nursing Competence in Thrombolytic Therapy for Myocardial Infarction: A Public Teaching Hospital Study

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the knowledge and proficiency of nurses in managing thrombolytic therapy for myocardial infarction.

Methodology: A cross-sectional research design was adopted and conducted in a public teaching hospital from May 2020 to September 2020. Registered professional nurses (n=52) working in the emergency department (ED) and cardiac care unit (CCU) were invited to participate. A structured, pre-validated questionnaire was used for data collection. The study received approval from the institutional review board and ethics committee. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0.

Results: Fifty ED nurses participated in the study, predominantly male, aged ≤ 34 years, with ≤ 3 years of experience. The overall knowledge score of nurses regarding thrombolytic therapy was 71%, while the practice score was 79%. The lowest level of knowledge was related to contraindications (65%) and treatment protocols (66%), while the highest was for therapy considerations (85.2%). The lowest task performance (47.8%) was observed in the pre-administration phase. There was a negative correlation (r = -0.226) between knowledge and practice. Knowledge levels were higher among male nurses, while task performance was better among those with cardiac certification.

Conclusion: The study revealed that while nurses had a favorable level of knowledge about thrombolytic therapy, their practical implementation was poor. This gap highlights the need for targeted educational programs and the establishment of efficient documentation systems to enhance clinical practice.