A comparative study of teaching clinical guideline for prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia in two ways: face-to-face and workshop training on the knowledge and practice of nurses in the Intensive Care Unit

Introduction: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is one ofthe most popular nosocomial infections in the intensive care unitsand the nurse’s role in preventing it is very important. The aim ofthis study was to compare the effect of two methods of face to facetraining and work- shop clinical guidelines in prevention of VAP.Methods: In this experimental randomized clinical trial, theknowledge and practice of nurses in ICUs were studied in twogroups: face to face training (35 nurses) and workshops (40nurses) by using clinical guidelines in prevention of VAP in oneof the hospitals of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. The levelof knowledge and practice in each group was assessed by selfreportquestionnaire, knowledge questionnaire and also directobservation of practice, before and after training. Data wereanalyzed with descriptive statistics, paired t-test, independentt-test, McNemar test, Fisher’s exact, sign and Chi-square test,using SPSS 14.Results: This study demonstrated that both methods of face toface training and workshop were very effective. The incidenceof inappropriate pressure of cuff in the tracheal tubes andtracheostomy tubes was significantly reduced after training(p=0.001). But, by comparison of these two methods and therelationship between the variables revealed that no significantdifference was found between the two groups of face to facetraining and workshop.Conclusion: Training the nurses is highly effective in preventingVAP, particularly for appropriate cuff pressure, suctioning anddisinfecting hands.Keywords: Pneumonia; Nurse; Knowledge