article · BMC Health Services Research
A multicentre cross-sectional study evaluated the knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding oxygen therapy among 218 health professionals across hospitals in the South Gondar zone. The majority of participants were under 40 years old, with nurses representing the largest respondent group, followed by physicians and midwives. Overall, 54.6 per cent of respondents scored above the mean for knowledge, 54.6 per cent showed positive attitudes, and 65.1 per cent demonstrated good practice levels. Training, having less than four years of work experience, and the availability of clinical guidelines were significantly associated with higher knowledge. Similarly, fewer than four years of experience and the presence of regular maintenance and supplies for oxygen therapy devices were associated with better practice. Training also improved attitudes, whereas poor knowledge contributed to negative attitudes towards oxygen administration.
Administering therapeutic oxygen safely requires healthcare workers to possess sound clinical judgment, practical skills, and accurate knowledge. This assessment reveals that nearly half of surveyed hospital professionals fall below average benchmarks in knowledge and attitude. Demonstrating that clinical guidelines, regular equipment maintenance, and structured training improve practitioner performance gives hospital managers clear operational priorities to enhance patient care and reduce treatment risks.
The findings highlight operational needs within hospital settings rather than a proprietary product. The insights could inform the development of professional training programmes, clinical guideline dissemination tools, and maintenance management services for oxygen equipment. Potential users include healthcare managers, training providers, and medical equipment service organisations. However, as an observational health services study, the abstract does not indicate a direct technology commercialisation pathway.
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INTRODUCTION: Therapeutic oxygen should be administered by competent healthcare providers who possess the required competencies of knowledge, skill, and judgment/abilities to make clinical decisions regarding the administration of oxygen. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of health professionals towards oxygen therapy. METHODS: A multicenter institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 218 health professionals. The assessment was done with a total of 31 questions. After data cleanup analysis was done with SPSS software. Descriptive, chi-square test, bivariable and multivariable analysis were done accordingly. A p-value of ≤0.05 was considered to have a significant association with the outcome variables. RESULTS: Among 218 participants, most of the participants (92.7%) were in the age range of less than 40 years old. Nurses were the most responding professions followed by physicians and midwifes. From the participants, around 54.6, 54.6, and 65.1% of respondents answered above the means score of knowledge, attitude and practice questions respectively. Getting training (AOR- 4.15, CI- 1.15-14.6), work experiences of less than 4 years (AOR- 2.54, 95%CI- (1.28-5.05), and availability of guidelines (AOR- 11.5, CI- 3.35-39.6) were significantly associated with knowledge level. Also work experience of fewer than 4 years (AOR- 3.41, 95%CI- (1.58-7.35) and presence of periodic maintenance and supply of oxygen therapy devices (AOR- 4.32, 95% CI- (1.44-12.9) were associated with practice level. Similarly, work experiences < 4 years (AOR- 8.6, 95%CI- (2.6-29) and getting training (AOR- 21.4, 95%CI-(2.7- 27.3) has a positive (direct) association with the level of attitude, and poor level of knowledge (AOR- 12.1, 95%CI (3.42-42.9) was contributed for negative attitude. CONCLUSION: This study concluded that 54.6, 54.6, and 65.1% of participants have a good level of knowledge, positive attitude, and good level of practice towards oxygen therapy respectively.
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DOI: 10.1186/s12913-022-08011-4
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