Nurses' Perceptions of Using Capnography During Resuscitation of Patients in Emergency Department.

BACKGROUND

Capnography provides real-time data on ventilation by measuring exhaled carbon dioxide. Its use improves patient safety, especially during resuscitation. Despite its clinical value, capnography adoption remains limited in emergency settings in some regions. The aim of this study is to assess nurses' knowledge, experience, and perceptions of capnography use during cardiac arrest resuscitation in emergency departments in North West Bank hospitals.

METHODS

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 96 emergency nurses from 7 governmental hospitals. Data was collected using a validated self-administered questionnaire. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, correlation tests, and significance testing at P < .05.

RESULTS

Most nurses (80.2%) had low knowledge of capnography. Only 34.4% reported any clinical experience using it. Perception scores showed 39.6% had fair perception, 22.9% had good perception, and 37.5% had poor perception. A weak but statistically significant correlation existed between knowledge and prior experience with capnography (P = .048).

CONCLUSIONS

Despite a fair to good perception of capnography, most nurses demonstrated low knowledge and limited clinical experience. Educational interventions and policy changes are needed to improve capnography use in emergency resuscitation settings.