Evaluation of the knowledge and practice among intensive care physicians (Intensivists) in Egypt

Context
ICU doctors offer 24-hour bedside care for critically ill patients. They may put established preventive methods into clinical practice and play a key role in preventing, controlling, and treating hospital-acquired infections in intubated patients. Healthcare providers must be aware of numerous techniques to follow best practices. Knowledge should increase doctors’ confidence in decision-making. Critical care workers should use evidence-based techniques to provide high-quality care.


Aims
The present study aims to evaluate doctors’ knowledge, practices, and skills in some respiratory (RICU), medical (MICU), coronary (CCU), and general (GICU) in Egypt.


Settings and design
Cross–sectional study in ICU.


Methods and patient
Questionnaire to 167 doctors working in different ICU in Egypt.

Statistical analysis used: Pearson
χ
2
test was used for detecting differences among data categories.



Results
There was a significant difference among the study groups regarding experience in the basic ventilator modes, newly developed modes, ventilator graphs, using chest ultrasound in ICU, using echocardiography, the psychic problems in the ICU patients, proper choice of vasopressors, interpreting arterial blood gases, basic interpretation of ECG, inserting endotracheal tube and central venous line placement. There was a significant increase in awareness of protective ventilator strategy and using special weaning protocols in RICU and GICU compared with MICU and CCU. Regarding pulmonary rehabilitation, infection control, and antibiotics use guidelines there was a significant decrease in MICU compared with other ICUs.


Conclusions
Most practice and knowledge were good in all ICUs in our study, with good awareness of protocols for each field, except for MICU and CCU participants showed some defects compared with other groups. RICU physicians were the most aware and best practiced with good general awareness.