FLUID BALANCE MONITORING PRACTICE AND PREDICTORS AMONG NURSES WORKING AT PUBLIC HOSPITALS IN HAWASSA CITY, ETHIOPIA, 2023

Abstract

Background: Fluid balance monitoring involves measuring input and output accurately. In order to treat patients effectively and shorten their hospital stays, accurate fluid balance monitoring is necessary. Recent studies have shown that the majority of fluid balance monitoring practices by nurses are unsatisfactory. There was an apparent gap in recording input and output and calculating 24-hour fluid balance by nurses. Although some studies on fluid balance monitoring have been conducted, fluid balance monitoring practice among nurses is still poorly understood. Objective: To assess fluid balance monitoring practice and predictors among nurses working at public hospitals in Hawassa city, Ethiopia, 2023. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted from May 1 to June 30, 2023. A simple random sampling technique was used to select 270 nurses. A checklist for observations and a self-administered questionnaire were used to gather the data. The data was summarized using descriptive statistics. To find the predictors of fluid balance monitoring, bivariate and multivariable logistic regressions were employed. Results: Of all the nurses (n = 270) who participated in the study, 170 (63%) reported that they do not perform fluid balance monitoring. Sex was associated negatively (AOR = 0.153: 0.024, 0.981, p = 0.048), whereas knowledge was associated positively (AOR = 19.029: 3.053, 118.601, P = 0.002) with fluid balance monitoring practice and was found to be a predictor of fluid balance monitoring practice. Conclusion and recommendation: More than half of nurses assessed for fluid balance monitoring practice scored less than the mean score for practice-related questions. The knowledge of the respondent nurses was found to be a predictor of fluid balance monitoring practice. Provision of continuous and periodic training on the knowledge related to fluid balance monitoring practice for nurses working in public hospitals in Hawassa city has to be strengthened.