Level of Knowledge on the use of Mechanical Ventilation in the Emergency Department; Questionary Study

Objective: The number of admissions to emergency services has been increasing in recent years. Therefore, the waiting period of the patients who come with respiratory distress is prolonged due to the hospital's intensity. For this reason, the use of mechanical ventilation (MV) for respiratory support in emergency is also growing. However, data on MV training of emergency physicians are limited. Because of increment use in MV, training and planning on this subject need to be changed. In this study, we aimed to contribute to future regulations by measuring the MV knowledge of physicians in the emergency services. Methods: A twenty-item questionnaire was filled online by seventy-six emergency physicians between 10/06/2018-20/06/2018. Demographics and information as to the usage of MV were collected via this questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS 25 software. Results: 76 emergency physicians participated. 51% of our participants work in intensive emergencies where 500-1000 patients are treated, 88.2% following up patients with MV and 76.3% have previously received MV training but this training is not sufficient and standard. Conclusion: In this study, we found that emergency physicians have a fundamental knowledge of MV. Further, we concluded that the efficacy of this treatment could be increased through more frequent and detailed MV training.