Effect of Teaching P rogram on Knowledge and Skills Regarding Automatic External Defibrillation among Nurses Working In Emergency Unit

Background: In most cases of cardiac arrest, the chances of a favorable outcome depend not only on efficient BLS, but also on the early use of defibrillation. In a hospital environment, the first responders are most likely to be members o f the nursing staff. The potential advantage of these personnel being able to perform early defibrillation, as well as BLS, is considerable. Study Objective: Identify the effect of teaching program on knowledge and skills regarding automatic external defibrillation among nurses working in emergency unit Research design: A quasi experimental. Setting of the study: Emergency care medical department at Assuit University Hospitals. Sample: Nurses working in selected setting and having more than one year clinical experience (about 50 nurses). Methods: Two tools were used for data collection. Tool one is (knowledge assessment tool). Tool two is (skills assessment tool).The current study was carried out on the assessment of the nurses’ level of knowledge and skills using tool one and tool two. Followed by implementation where all the groups were exposed to four sessions and assessment carried out. Data was collected by the researcher during approximately six months starting. Results: The study revealed that the majority of nurses had poor knowledge and skills related to AED before teaching program which has been improved after Also, a positive correlation was found between knowledge and skills scores of the study subjects. In conclusion, empowerment of critical care nurses knowledge and skills would have a positive impact upon their knowledge and performance. The study recommended that continuous In–service training programs for the purpose of updating the knowledge and skills of AED for nurses working with cardiac arrest patients.