Key result
Length of experience and area of clinical practice correlated with higher levels of knowledge regarding electroconvulsive therapy among 167 surveyed mental health nurses.
Cross-Sectional (n=167)
Mental health nurses demonstrate variable knowledge of ECT, particularly regarding cognitive side-effects, indicating a need for improved nursing education.
May support targeted ECT education for less experienced mental health nurses; leaves open effects on patient care and outcomes.
This study attempted to illicit the knowledge and attitudes of mental health nurses to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). A total of 167 questionnaires containing attitude/knowledge scales were returned from the 345 sent out. The author discovered limitations in the reliability of the instrument and thus reliable measures of the respondents' knowledge of ECT were not obtained. The author's findings indicated correlations with higher levels of knowledge and (a) length of experience and (b) area of clinical practice. He also noted significant variations in knowledge of cognitive side-effects. The author concludes that nurses' knowledge of ECT requires improvement in many cases and that this has implications for nurse education.
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Cutcliffe et al. (2000) conducted a cross-sectional in Knowledge and attitudes to electroconvulsive therapy (n=167). Mental health nursing experience and clinical practice area was evaluated on Knowledge and attitudes to ECT. Length of experience and area of clinical practice correlated with higher levels of knowledge regarding electroconvulsive therapy among 167 surveyed mental health nurses.
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