Impacto de uma intervenção educativa na melhora do conhecimento de enfermeiros sobre a insuficiência cardíaca

Abstract

Introduction: Adequate knowledge among nurses to provide self-care guidance to patients with heart failure (HF) can significantly influence the reduction of readmission rates and mortality. Objective: To evaluate the impact of an educational intervention on improving nurses' knowledge of HF. Method: The study included 117 nurses from five healthcare institutions providing nursing care to cardiac patients in the state of Sergipe. The educational intervention involved the use of an 8-minute and 32-second educational video developed based on the guidelines of the Brazilian Society of Cardiology. Nurses' knowledge was assessed using the Brazilian-validated Heart Failure Nurses' Knowledge Questionnaire (QCENIC). For data analysis before and after the educational intervention, association tests were employed, including the Cochran Q test for comparisons among three or more time points, repeated measures ANOVA with Greenhouse-Geisser correction for analysis of two or more paired measures, and Tukey's test for multiple comparisons, with a significance level set at p < 0.05. Results: A statistically significant improvement in nurses' knowledge about HF was observed after the educational intervention. There was an increase in average scores across the three assessment points, with an increase in the immediate post-test (from 70.8% to 95.4%; p < 0.001) and retention of 88.1% after 30 days (p < 0.001). The intervention had a uniform impact regardless of the healthcare institution, reinforcing its effectiveness and indicating that nurses retained part of the acquired knowledge. Comparing the effect of the intervention in the immediate post-test with the pre-test, a large positive effect was observed, and after 30 days, there was a reduction in scores, reflected by a negative Cohen's D, suggesting a possible loss of knowledge over time. Conclusion: The educational intervention significantly improved nurses' knowledge about HF, although there was a reduction in knowledge retention after 30 days. These results highlight the importance of continuous strategies to maintain and reinforce the acquired knowledge.