Evaluation of nurses’ knowledge and practice regarding sepsis management: “A case study of adult ICU/HDU setting at CHUK”

TL;DR

This study evaluates nurses' knowledge and practice in sepsis management at CHUK's ICU/HDU, finding moderate knowledge but poor practice, with education and training as key factors.

Contribution

The study identifies gaps in sepsis management practices among nurses and links them to education and training deficiencies in a low-resource setting.

Findings

11.8% of nurses had low knowledge, 58.8% moderate, and 29.4% good knowledge of sepsis.

39.2% of nurses showed low practice levels in sepsis management.

Education level and training significantly influenced knowledge and practice (p-values < 0.05).

Abstract

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that leads to high mortality in ICU and HDU settings globally. It results from a dysregulated immune response to infection, causing organ failure. Nurses play a key role in early detection and effective management due to their continuous patient care. Despite international guidelines like the Surviving Sepsis Campaign, gaps in knowledge and practice remain, particularly in low-resource settings. This study assessed nurses’ knowledge and practices at CHUK to identify areas for improvement.

A quantitative research approach was used with a cross-sectional design. The study population consisted of nurses working in ICU/HDU unit at CHUK, with a sample size covering 51 participants. Descriptive statistics was applied to each variable, and data was presented using tables and frequency distributions. Mean scores and standard deviations were calculated for quantitative variables. Ordinal logistic regression was carried out to study factors associated with knowledge towards knowledge and management of sepsis. Variables with a p-value < 0.05 from the ordinal logistic regression was considered statistically significant.

Among participants, 11.8% had low level of knowledge,58.8% has moderate knowledge and 29.4% had good level of knowledge towards sepsis. Among them 39.2% showed low level of practice, 29.4% showed moderate level of practice and 31.4% good practice. The results from ordinal regression showed that level of education is a factor of knowledge towards sepsis. Those with Bachelor’s degree showed to have inadequate knowledge (P-value = 0.032). The results from ordinal regression showed that training is a factor to practice towards the management of sepsis. Those who were not trained showed inadequate practice (P-value = 0.002).

The study found that nurses had moderate knowledge but poor practice in sepsis management. Lower education levels and lack of sepsis-specific training were key contributing factors. This highlights the need for continuous education and targeted training programs. Future research should explore the lived experiences and challenges nurses face in managing sepsis to inform more effective interventions.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12912-025-03936-7.

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