Abstract
BACKGROUND: The interaction between the patient and the ventilator is often disturbed, resulting in patient-ventilator asynchrony (PVA). Asynchrony can lead to respiratory failure, increased artificial ventilation time, prolonged hospitalization, and escalated healthcare costs. Professionals' knowledge regarding waveform analysis has significant implications for improving patient outcomes and minimizing ventilation-related adverse events. Studies investigating the knowledge of healthcare professionals on patient-ventilator asynchrony and its associated factors in the Ethiopian context are limited. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the knowledge of healthcare professionals about using waveform analysis to detect asynchrony. METHODS: A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted on 237 healthcare professionals (HCPs) working in the intensive care units (ICUs) of federal public hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from December 2022 to May 2023. The data were collected using a structured and pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire. Then, the collected data were cleaned, coded, and entered into Epi data V-4.2.2 and exported to SPSS V-27 for analysis. After description, associations were analyzed using binary logistic regression. Variables with a P-value of < 0.25 in the bivariable analysis were transferred to the multivariable analysis. Statistical significance was declared using 95% confidence intervals, and the strengths of associations were reported using adjusted odds ratios (AORs). RESULTS: A total of 237 HCPs participated in the study with a response rate of 100%. Half (49.8%) of the participants were females. The mean age of the participants was 29 years (SD = 3.57). Overall, 10.5% (95% CI: 6.9-15.2) of the participants had good knowledge of detecting PVA using waveform analysis. In the logistic regression, the number of MV-specific trainings and the training site had a statistically significant association with knowledge of HCPs. HCPs who attended more frequent MV training were more likely to have good knowledge than their counterparts [AOR = 6.88 (95% CI: 2.61-15.45)]. Additionally, the odds of good knowledge among professionals who attended offsite training were 2.6 times higher than those among professionals trained onsite [AOR = 2.63 (95% CI: 1.36-7.98)]. CONCLUSION: The knowledge of ICU healthcare professionals about the identification of PVA using waveform analysis is low. In addition, the study also showed that attending offsite MV training and repeated MV training sessions were independently associated with good knowledge. Consequently, the study findings magnify the relevance of providing frequent and specific training sessions focused on waveform analysis to boost the knowledge of HCPs.