Nurses’ Knowledge and Practices of Electrocardiogram Interpretation

Background: Electrocardiogram (ECG) is a diagnostic tool that is routinely used noninvasively to assess the electrical and muscular functions of the heart. All nurses should be able to recognize basic ECG rhythms. Objective: This study aimed to determine the ECG knowledge and practice among nurses in university hospitals in North Cyprus. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted on the registered nurses who worked in critical care units, including intensive care unit, coronary care unit, emergency department, recovery department, and cardiology department in two university hospitals (Near East University Hospital and Dr. Suat Günsel Hospital). Totally, 72 registered nurses worked in both hospitals 65 one of whom took part in the study voluntarily. The study data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire. The questionnaire was prepared in Turkish and was used after being reviewed by three specialist nurses and one cardiologist. The questionnaire contained three sections and 15 questions. Results: The majority of the nurses had B.Sc. degrees (93.8%) and recorded ECGs for patients (89.2%). The majority of the participants had passed ECG training courses (60.0%). Considering the nurses’ knowledge of ECG, the total frequency of correct answers was 69%. Considering their practice of ECG interpretations, the total frequency of correct answers was 67%. Cardiology department nurses had the highest percentage of correct answers (P = 0.002). Indeed, the lowest and highest means of correct answers were observed among the nurses with less than one year and more than six years of work experience, respectively. Conclusion: The study results showed a high level of ECG knowledge and practice among the nurses. The hospital unit and passage of previous ECG training courses played an important role in the nurses’ experience of ECG interpretation. Hence, ECG training courses were effective in improving the nurses’ ECG knowledge.