Computerized blood gas interpretation as tool for classroom and ICU.

OBJECTIVE

To describe structure and function of a PC based blood gas interpretation program (ABG-consultant) developed for nurses and physicians, and to test educational impact and user acceptance.

DESIGN

Prospective, blinded study

SETTING

Interdisciplinary ICU of a county hospital in Switzerland

PARTICIPANTS

Nurses specialized in intensive care

INTERVENTIONS

Exposure to the ABG-consultant program

MEASUREMENT AND RESULTS

A first group of nurses was subjected to a written examination, then the ABG-consultant was made available for them for 2 months, and finally the same examination was taken again. Additionally, they completed a questionnaire related to the performance of the ABG-consultant. A second group of nurses took the same sequence of examinations but had no access to the ABG-consultant. The score of the examinations increased by 4.8 points in the first group (p < 0.0001) and by 1.3 points (p < 0.16) in the second group. More than 400 consultations were conducted over a period of 2 months and the users themselves stated that the system was of help and easy to use.

CONCLUSION

The results have shown that exposure to the ABG-consultant has increased the blood gas knowledge of the ICU nurses. It therefore appears desirable and worthwhile to address other areas of clinical medicine by a similar teaching-consulting approach.