Yang Lyu1, Gang Chen2, Luhui Shen3, Yingqing Liu3, Fengli Gao4, Xinhua He5, Julia Crilly6. 1. Department of Emergency Medicine, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Beijing, PR China. Electronic address: lvyang_369@126.com. 2. Department of Pharmacy, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Beijing, PR China. 3. Department of Emergency Medicine, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Beijing, PR China. 4. Department of Nursing, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Beijing, PR China. 5. Department of Emergency Medicine, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Beijing, PR China. Electronic address: xhhe2000@yeah.net. 6. Department of Emergency Medicine, Gold Coast Health, Queensland, Australia; School of Nursing and Midwifery, Menzies Health Institute, Queensland, Australia.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To explore the current status of knowledge, attitudes, clinical practice and barriers in nutrition support amongst physicians and nurses working in Chinese Emergency Departments (EDs), and the relationship between their demographic characteristics and knowledge and attitudes regarding nutrition support. METHODS: A 34 item survey was developed, validated and distributed nationally to ED physicians and nurses from 1st April to 1st May 2018. RESULTS: A total of 1234 respondents completed and returned the survey. Knowledge of nutrition support was moderate (mean: 6.70/10) and differed significantly based on demographic characteristics (e.g. age, staff type). Attitudes was very positive (4.15/5), more so among nurses compared to physicians. Only few (5.6%) respondents reportedly assessed nutritional condition for all patients. The most common barriers to optimize nutrition support were being too busy, lack of standardized protocol specific to ED, and lack of teamwork and coordination. CONCLUSION: In a subset of physicians and nurses working in Chinese EDs, limited knowledge but positive attitudes toward nutrition support was evident. Recommendations to optimize evidence-based nutritional support practice in the ED include initiating, implementing and sustaining training regarding nutrition support, establishing, implementing and evaluating a standardized protocol, and enhancing interdisciplinary coordination.
OBJECTIVE: To explore the current status of knowledge, attitudes, clinical practice and barriers in nutrition support amongst physicians and nurses working in Chinese Emergency Departments (EDs), and the relationship between their demographic characteristics and knowledge and attitudes regarding nutrition support. METHODS: A 34 item survey was developed, validated and distributed nationally to ED physicians and nurses from 1st April to 1st May 2018. RESULTS: A total of 1234 respondents completed and returned the survey. Knowledge of nutrition support was moderate (mean: 6.70/10) and differed significantly based on demographic characteristics (e.g. age, staff type). Attitudes was very positive (4.15/5), more so among nurses compared to physicians. Only few (5.6%) respondents reportedly assessed nutritional condition for all patients. The most common barriers to optimize nutrition support were being too busy, lack of standardized protocol specific to ED, and lack of teamwork and coordination. CONCLUSION: In a subset of physicians and nurses working in Chinese EDs, limited knowledge but positive attitudes toward nutrition support was evident. Recommendations to optimize evidence-based nutritional support practice in the ED include initiating, implementing and sustaining training regarding nutrition support, establishing, implementing and evaluating a standardized protocol, and enhancing interdisciplinary coordination.