Knowledge and Clinical Competence of Nurses Regarding Enteral Nutrition: A Descriptive, Cross-sectional, and Comparative Study

This study aimed to explore and compare knowledge and clinical competence of nurses regarding enteral nutrition (EN). Nurses (n = 327) working in clinics from 3 hospitals that use EN were included in the study. Data were collected using a 29-item questionnaire. Half of the nurses (50.0%) reported performing EN assessment. A statistically significant difference was found between the 3 hospitals. Only 2.6% of nurses reported their self-perceived knowledge of EN as "fully" and 12.3% responded "not at all." The nurses working in private hospitals reported having less self-competence in EN than the nurses working in university and research hospitals. On the basis of the findings, this study revealed that there were important differences between EN practices, nurses' perceived knowledge, and clinical competence regarding EN.