EP.TU.838Educating the ITU Nursing Staff during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Quality Improvement Project

Aims The nursing staff always plays a crucial role in the management of patients. This pandemic had put the ITUs under an undue burden, and the nurses faced an altogether new challenge. There was extensive use of various oxygen delivery systems and fastly emerging guidelines. So, there is an increased demand for the nursing staff to stay abreast with the situation. Hence a teaching program was organized for the ITU nurses. Methods Five academic sessions were conducted as a part of the first cycle of QIP in November 2020 under the guidance of nursing tutors and ITU consultants. These topics covered the respiratory system, including Severe Acute Respiratory Illness, Non-invasive and Invasive ventilation techniques, and ARDS. Feedback forms were collected and analysed after each session, which focused on the usefulness and relevance of content, teaching style, and the overall confidence in the topics. Results Audit of the feedback forms showed globally positive feedback and improvement in understanding amongst the nursing staff. Also, the confidence of nurses in these topics increased abundantly. Many of them expressed interest in attending similar sessions in the future. Conclusions Keeping the nursing staff up-to-date with the latest management guidelines is quintessential for patient safety. More so during this pandemic, where academic activities are becoming scarce, and protocols are rapidly changing. Further sessions on relevant topics will continue to enhance learning.