Impact of an Educational Intervention on Nurses’ Knowledge and Practice in Early Detection of Acute Kidney Injury at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, Western Uganda

Abstract

Introduction: Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) is a common, often undocumented disorder causing significant morbidity and high mortality. It affects 20% of hospitalized patients, with over 50% incidence in ICUs. Nurses play a crucial role in AKI management, particularly in in-patient care. Early detection and management depend on nurses’ knowledge and practice, impacting outcomes. AKI is a global concern, with over 2.3 million projected annual deaths worldwide. Aim: To examine the impact of an educational intervention on nurses’ knowledge and practice in early detection of AKI at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital. Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital in the Accident and Emergency and Intensive Care Units. It involved a pre-test, intervention, and post-test. Thirty nurses completed self-administered questionnaires to assess knowledge, while 25 medical charts were reviewed using a checklist to evaluate practice. Paired t-tests and Chi-square tests were used to analyse changes in knowledge and practice before and after an educational intervention. Results: The findings revealed that the knowledge and practices in early detection of AKI among the nurses was inadequate with only 3.3% of the nurses having excellent knowledge in the early identification of AKI while most of the medical charts had incorrectly performed practices. However, after the educational intervention the knowledge and practice in detection of AKI improved. The mean knowledge scores were 43.0333 (SD = 16.9) pre-test and 68.3 (12.8) post-test. There were significant differences in mean knowledge and practice scores before and after intervention, mean of (t (29) with 18.7018–31.96487 (95% confidence interval) and P-value of <0.0001. Conclusion: There is a need to organize regular sessions on AKI to improve the knowledge and practices of nurses in early detection of AKI.