Critical care nurses' knowledge of measures to prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia.

We queried critical care nurses at a hospital about their level of knowledge of interventions designed to prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). The mean score was 7.87 ± 1.36 (65.6%) among 133 questionnaires. Multivariate analysis revealed that intensive care unit (ICU) license (P = .03) and ranking of registered nurses (RNs) (P = .041) were significantly associated with higher knowledge level (≥8 correct answers of 12 items) of respondents. This surveillance study revealed that non-ICU-licensed nurses and junior RNs lack the knowledge necessary to prevent VAP in critical care settings.