Nurses’ Knowledge of Heart Failure Management at a Tertiary-Care Hospital in Bangladesh: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Heart failure (HF) is a growing public health burden in South Asia, and nurses are central to bedside recognition, guideline-concordant intervention, and patient education for HF. Evidence on nurses’ HF knowledge from Bangladesh remains limited. This study assessed heart failure management knowledge among senior staff nurses at a tertiary-care hospital in Bangladesh and examined its association with socio-demographic and professional characteristics. This study aimed to assess the level of knowledge of heart failure management among senior staff nurses at a tertiary-care hospital in Bangladesh and to examine its association with socio-demographic and professional characteristics. The study used a descriptive cross-sectional design. A non probability sample of 100 nurses working in intensive care, coronary care, medicine, emergency units, and other departments responded to a structured questionnaire that was either administered by an interviewer or completed self-administered. The questionnaire included sociodemographic and professional data, as well as a 25-item knowledge scale (Cronbach’s α = 0.733) on HF pathophysiology, ejection fraction, risk factors, symptoms, emergency actions, positioning, pharmacological treatment, and self-care education. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, chi-square tests, an independent-samples t-test, and multiple linear regression in SPSS. Most respondents were female (87%), married (93%), and diploma-qualified (45%), and 82% had received no prior training in cardiac care. Knowledge of core physiological concepts was generally high: 91% correctly identified the defining mechanism of HF, 89% correctly identified normal ejection fraction range (55–70%), and 100% identified shortness of breath as a cardinal symptom. Performance was more variable on applied pharmacological and self-management statements, with only 60% correctly affirming the evidence base for diuretics and ACE inhibitor/ARB–beta-blocker therapy, 57% correctly rejecting routine over-the-counter NSAID use, and 54% correctly rejecting blanket bed rest. Knowledge Total scores did not differ significantly by age, gender, marital status, education, department, or prior cardiac-care training (all ANOVA p>0.05), and a multiple regression model including these five predictors explained only 1.5% of variance in Knowledge Total (R²=0.015, F(5,94)=0.296, p=0.914), with no individual predictor reaching significance. Nurses demonstrated strong foundational knowledge of HF pathophysiology and recognition but showed measurable gaps in evidence-based pharmacotherapy and self-care counselling content, unexplained by the demographic and professional factors examined. Structured, competency-based continuing education on HF pharmacotherapy and patient education rather than credential- or department-based targeting is indicated to close this gap.