An investigation of the attempts by anesthesia intensive care nurses to increase lung capacity after extubation of the patient

Objective: This study aimed to examine the efforts made by Anesthesiology Intensive Care nurses to increase patient lung capacity after extubation. Materials and Methods: The research is descriptive and cross-sectional in design. The sample comprised 120 volunteer nurses working in the 3rd step Anesthesia Intensive Care Unit in Izmir. Data were collected online using a 41-item questionnaire created by the researchers. Research data were analyzed using SPSS (for Windows 25.0). Descriptive statistics (number, percentage, min-max values, mean, and standard deviation) were employed for data evaluation. Results: 67.5% of nurses are women and 32.5% are men. It was determined that 30% of the nurses received training on Lung Capacity Increasing Interventions, but only 13.3% used evidence-based guidelines. It was determined that 87.5% of the nurses applied interventions to increase the patient's lung capacity after extubation. Usually (frequently) 37.9% postural drainage, 27.6% deep breathing-coughing exercise, 25% triflow exercise, 4.3% positioning (dik-fowler's), 2.6% Noninvasive Ventilation (NIV), 2% It was determined that they applied 6 nebule treatments. While implementing all these, nurses stated that their workload was high, the team's knowledge level was insufficient, some patients rejected the interventions, and the lack of materials (such as triflow) were obstacles. Conclusion: Nurses were found to have knowledge and training in Interventions to Increase Lung Capacity. Nevertheless, their training in this area was insufficient, and the use of evidence-based guidelines in practice was limited.