DETERMINING THE KNOWLEDGE OF NURSES WORKING IN THE TURKISH REPUBLIC OF NORTHERN CYPRUS ON PERIOPERATIVE PERIOD ENHANCED RECOVERY AFTER SURGERY (ERAS) PROTOCOLS: A QUANTITATIVE DESCRIPTIVE STUDY

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study is to determine the knowledge level of nurses working in surgical clinics about perioperative period (ERAS) protocols. Methods: This descriptive research design completed between March and June 2021. The population of the study consisted of 126 nurses working in the surgical clinics of a State hospital in Northern Cyprus. The data were evaluated by accepting the significance level of p<0.05 at the 95% confidence interval. Results: 47.3% of the nurses who participated in the study were 38 years and older, 81.7% were women, 58.1% had undergraduate education, 72% did not receive training on ERAS, and 73.1% of the nurses reported that it was beneficial to apply the ERAS protocol. The general average score of the nurses was determined as 54.67 +/- 21.50. Conclusion: It was determined that the majority of the nurses did not know the ERAS protocol, that the ERAS protocol applications were not included in the clinic where they worked, and they had moderate knowledge. According to these results, it can be suggested that nurses should follow current developments and evidence-based guidelines on the ERAS protocol.