Skip to content
DraconiticResearch
Search Sources API
190,335 studies31 sourcesUpdated 33 min ago
Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Frontiers in Public Health

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding ventilator-associated pneumonia among family members of ICU patients

  • Jian Zhou1
  • Yonghong Shen2
  • Jingbo Lu2
  • Danyang Bai3
  • Mengwen Shen1
  • Huan Tang1
  • Wei Zhang2
  • Hui Liao4
  • Ruiping Wang5
5 affiliations
  1. 1Intensive Care Unit, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine
  2. 2Department of Nursing, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine
  3. 3Department of Spine Surgery, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine
  4. 4Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Affiliated Oriental Hospital of Tongji University
  5. 5Clinical Research Center, Affiliated Dermatology Hospital of Tongji University
Read full textDOICite

Abstract

Objective: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) remains a major complication of mechanical ventilation, while the role of family members in preventive care has been insufficiently explored. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding VAP among family members of intensive care unit (ICU) patients.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among family members of ICU patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation at the Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine from July 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026. Participants were recruited using convenience sampling. Demographic characteristics and knowledge, attitude, and practice scores were collected and assessed using a self-designed structured questionnaire. The cutoff for good knowledge, positive attitudes, and proactive practices was defined as at least 70.0% of the corresponding total score. Descriptive analysis, multivariable regression, and structural equation modeling (SEM) were performed to evaluate factors associated with KAP outcomes and explore relationships among KAP domains.

Results: A total of 406 participants were included, with 56.9% being female. The mean knowledge, attitude, and practice scores were 3.48 ± 5.26 (possible range: 0–24), 38.94 ± 6.62 (possible range: 10–50), and 19.33 ± 6.50 (possible range: 7–35), respectively. SEM showed direct effects of knowledge on attitude ( β = 0.190, p < 0.001) and practice ( β = 0.222, p < 0.001), as well as a direct effect of attitude on practice ( β = 0.329, p < 0.001). Knowledge also indirectly affected practice through attitude ( β = 0.063, p = 0.001).

Conclusion: Family members of ICU patients generally held poor VAP-related knowledge, positive attitudes, and poor practices. Knowledge and attitudes were key determinants of preventive practices, with attitude mediating the knowledge–practice pathway. Structured family-oriented education and bedside participation protocols should be integrated into ICU care to improve feasible VAP-prevention behaviors.

Related

  1. Healthcare professionals’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding perioperative ischemic stroke in elderly patients
    Li Zhang, Hao Nie, Hui Sun +3
    Frontiers in medicinePeer-reviewedCC BYFull textGeneral medicineEurope PMC
  2. Parental knowledge, attitudes, and discretionary practices regarding children’s dietary salt intake in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study
    Almoutaz Hashim, Enad Alsolami, Sami Alobaidi
    Frontiers in public healthPeer-reviewedCC BYFull textEpidemiology & public healthEurope PMC
  3. Status and influencing factors of knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding oxygen therapy among clinical nurses in Anhui Province, China
    Ling-li Jin, Bo Li, Rui-xiang Sun +1
    Frontiers in public healthPeer-reviewedCC BYFull textEpidemiology & public healthEurope PMC
  4. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding Helicobacter pylori resistance among physicians: a multicenter cross-sectional study in Shanxi, China
    Yonghua Chen, Bo Fan, Ting Wu +4
    Scientific ReportsPeer-reviewedCC BY-NC-ND 4.0Full textSurgery & anaesthesiaCrossref
  5. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding cystic echinococcosis among healthcare students and intern doctors in the west bank: a cross-sectional study
    Mohammad W. Awlad Mohammad, Malek N. Itmaiza, Qais Al Azzah +6
    BMC Public HealthPeer-reviewedCC BY-NC-ND 4.0Epidemiology & public healthCrossref

Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{zhou2026knowledge,
  title = {{Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding ventilator-associated pneumonia among family members of ICU patients}},
  author = {Jian Zhou and Yonghong Shen and Jingbo Lu and Danyang Bai and Mengwen Shen and Huan Tang and Wei Zhang and Hui Liao and Ruiping Wang},
  journal = {Frontiers in Public Health},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.3389/fpubh.2026.1997727},
  url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1997727/full},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding ventilator-associated pneumonia among family members of ICU patients
AU  - Jian Zhou
AU  - Yonghong Shen
AU  - Jingbo Lu
AU  - Danyang Bai
AU  - Mengwen Shen
AU  - Huan Tang
AU  - Wei Zhang
AU  - Hui Liao
AU  - Ruiping Wang
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/30
JO  - Frontiers in Public Health
DO  - 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1997727
UR  - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1997727/full
AB  - Objective: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) remains a major complication of mechanical ventilation, while the role of family members in preventive care has been insufficiently explored. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding VAP among family members of intensive care unit (ICU) patients.  Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among family members of ICU patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation at the Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine from July 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026. Participants were recruited using convenience sampling. Demographic characteristics and knowledge, attitude, and practice scores were collected and assessed using a self-designed structured questionnaire. The cutoff for good knowledge, positive attitudes, and proactive practices was defined as at least 70.0% of the corresponding total score. Descriptive analysis, multivariable regression, and structural equation modeling (SEM) were performed to evaluate factors associated with KAP outcomes and explore relationships among KAP domains.  Results: A total of 406 participants were included, with 56.9% being female. The mean knowledge, attitude, and practice scores were 3.48 ± 5.26 (possible range: 0–24), 38.94 ± 6.62 (possible range: 10–50), and 19.33 ± 6.50 (possible range: 7–35), respectively. SEM showed direct effects of knowledge on attitude ( β = 0.190, p < 0.001) and practice ( β = 0.222, p < 0.001), as well as a direct effect of attitude on practice ( β = 0.329, p < 0.001). Knowledge also indirectly affected practice through attitude ( β = 0.063, p = 0.001).  Conclusion: Family members of ICU patients generally held poor VAP-related knowledge, positive attitudes, and poor practices. Knowledge and attitudes were key determinants of preventive practices, with attitude mediating the knowledge–practice pathway. Structured family-oriented education and bedside participation protocols should be integrated into ICU care to improve feasible VAP-prevention behaviors.
SN  - 2296-2565
ER  -