Knowledge, practice, and factors affecting intravenous cannulation among nurses working in Dessie City public hospitals

Background Hospitals frequently deal with intravenous cannulation complications, and nurses are responsible for providing care for patients undergoing this procedure. However, there are a few studies on nurses' knowledge and practice related to intravenous cannulation. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the knowledge, practice, and factors affecting intravenous cannulation among nurses working in Dessie City public hospitals, Ethiopia. Methods A cross-sectional survey with an institutional focus was carried out among 423 nurses employed by Dessie City public hospitals between May 10 and May 30, 2024. Participants in the study were chosen using a simple random sampling method. A standardized, self-administered questionnaire was used to gather data. Data was entered into Epidata version 4.6.1 and then exported to SPSS version 23 for analysis. Binary logistic regression and descriptive statistics were used. Variables with a p-value of less than 0.05 from the multivariable analysis were declared as statistically significant, coupled with a 95% confidence interval. Results 56% of nurses were females, and the mean (± SD) age was 29.8 (± 0.2) years. 58.4% of nurses had good knowledge. Age 20–29 years (AOR = 0.28, 95% CI: 0.12, 0.63, P = 0.002), surgical ward (AOR = 2.87, 95% CI: 1.66, 4.95, P = 0.001), females (AOR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.22, 0.54, P = 0.0001), workload (AOR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.27, 0.89, P = 0.021), and training (AOR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.01, 2.49, P = 0.045) were factors of knowledge. 51.5% of nurses had good practice. Age 30–39 years (AOR = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.09, 0.58, P = 0.002), Diploma (AOR = 4.85, 95% CI: 1.96, 11.98, P = 0.01), experience (AOR = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.25–0.9, P = 0.023), pediatric ward (AOR = 2.79, 95% CI: 1.07, 7.27, P = 0.036), workload (AOR = 2.24, 95% CI: 1.17, 4.3, P = 0.016), frequency of handling IV (AOR = 3.83, 95% CI: 1.15, 12.68, P = 0.028), and good knowledge (AOR = 4.97, 95% CI: 3.06, 8.06, P = 0.0001) were factors of practice. Conclusion The majority of participants had good knowledge and practice about intravenous cannulation. The availability of antiseptic solution, sex, age, working unit, workload, and training were significantly associated knowledge. However, age, marital status, educational level, professional experience, working unit, existence of infection prevention guidelines, frequency of handling intravenous cannulation, and having good knowledge were predictors of practice. Clinical trial number Not applicable