Nurses’ knowledge in the early detection and management of acute kidney injury in selected referral hospitals in Rwanda

INTRODUCTION: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a global health issue, and its prevalence is higher in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The knowledge of nurses in the early detection and management of AKI has rarely been explored in the current literature; thus, this study aims to assess the knowledge of nurses in the early detection and management of patients with AKI in Rwanda.
METHODS: A cross-sectional research design was implemented for this study. The study setting included selected referral hospitals in Kigali. A convenience sample of 165 nurses was obtained and data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Analyses were made using descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS version 21.
RESULTS: Nurses' knowledge of the early detection and management of AKI was low. Receiving in-service training on AKI positively influenced their knowledge in the early detection (p-value= 0.049), whereas studying AKI in nursing school p-value = 0.035) and receiving in-service training on AKI (p-value= 0.008) were associated with knowledge of the management of AKI.
CONCLUSION: AKI is a common and potentially life-threatening condition that prolongs hospital stay, increases resource utilization, and mortality risks. Nurses need to be more involved in the early identification and management of AKI as they mostly serve as frontline health care providers and their role of continuous patient monitoring.