Boosting the capability of emergency nurses for cardiovascular diseases identification to enhance patients’ treatment

Boosting the capability of emergency nurses for cardiovascular diseases identification to enhance patients' treatment

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are one of the leading causes of mortality in Hong Kong. A possible sign of CVD, chest pain, can be evaluated through electrocardiogram (ECG) to determine whether the chest pain is CVD-related or caused by other disorders. Prompt interpretation of ECG results is thus crucial for triaging emergency patients and providing timely treatment for them.

In response to the issue, Dr Jonathan Ho, Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing and Health Studies at Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU), conducted a research project to evaluate the capability of local emergency nurses to interpret ECG, as well as examining the relationship between demographic characteristics of the nurses and such capability. This project is supported by Katie Shu Sui Pui Charitable Trust – Research and Publication Fund of HKMU.

The research team collected data from more than 90 local emergency nurses regarding their capability of ECG interpretation. The participating nurses were able to recognise most of the rhythms of ECG given in a questionnaire survey. However, a relatively high percentage of the participants were not familiar with one of the rhythms – heart block – which is important for determining whether immediate treatment is needed for a patient. The research team pointed out that ECG training regarding heart block is not sufficient in relevant courses on cardiovascular life support, revealing that current training may not be sufficient for emergency nurses.

Emergency nurses play an important role in identifying life-threatening cases among patients. The research outcomes suggest that hospital administrators should provide adequate and up-to-date training to emergency nurses to strengthen their skills on interpreting ECGs. This will enhance the efficiency of the triage system of local hospitals, and ensure patients who attend the Accident and Emergency Departments can receive prompt and suitable treatment.

The findings of this research project have been reported in the article 'Capability of emergency nurses for electrocardiogram interpretation', published on International Emergency Nursing. This publication was awarded the Silver Prize of the Outstanding Research Publication Award 2022 by HKMU, demonstrating the University's recognition of Dr Ho's research achievements.