Knowledge and Awareness of Compartment Syndrome Among Orthopedic and Emergency Department Nurses: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study in Saudi Arabia

TL;DR

This study evaluates how well orthopedic and emergency nurses in Saudi Arabia understand acute compartment syndrome, finding that while knowledge is generally good, diagnostic skills need improvement.

Contribution

The study identifies specific knowledge gaps in diagnosing acute compartment syndrome among nurses and links better knowledge to clinical experience and specialized training.

Findings

312 out of 400 nurses (78%) demonstrated moderate to adequate knowledge of acute compartment syndrome.

Nurses performed poorly in domains related to diagnostic criteria and assessment of acute compartment syndrome.

Specialized orthopedic training and clinical experience were significantly associated with better knowledge scores.

Abstract

Acute compartment syndrome (ACS) is a limb-threatening condition that requires timely recognition and management. Nurses who work in emergency and orthopedic settings play an important role in the early identification and care of patients at risk of developing ACS. This multicenter cross-sectional study assessed the knowledge and awareness of ACS among 400 nurses working in emergency and orthopedic departments across five major hospitals in Saudi Arabia using a validated electronic questionnaire. Overall, 312 (78%) of participants showed moderate to adequate knowledge. Domain-based analysis showed that nurses had higher performance in clinical signs and symptoms and management and prevention, while diagnostic criteria and assessment represented the weakest domains. Higher clinical experience showed a significant association with better knowledge levels (P < 0.001), and nurses who had received specialized orthopedic training showed significantly higher knowledge scores compared with untrained nurses (P = 0.027). These findings imply that, although overall knowledge scores were adequate, critical deficits in diagnostic assessment suggest that nurses may recognize ACS theoretically but struggle with practical early diagnosis, highlighting the need for targeted, experience-based, and specialty-focused training.

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