Effectiveness assessment when treating with a closed thoracic drainage system

Background: The role of nursing in the management of chest drains is diverse and important. There is a paucity of data regarding the management of chest drains by nurses.

Objective: To establish an evaluation system for nurses to help guide the care of patients being treated with closed thoracic drainage tubes.

Methods: An ADC (availability, dependability, and capacity) model was used as the framework to evaluate treatment guidelines. A questionnaire was developed and tested for reliability and validity based on experimental models of thoracic drainage. Patients were subsequently randomly selected and screened using the effectiveness assessment form.

Results: Overall dimension scores and subgroups were correlated (r > 0.7). Test-retest reliability met required standards (r = 0.769-0.889, p < 0.01). The correlation coefficient between scores of each dimension and total score was 0.542 to 0.920, and correlation coefficients for each item and its dimension were 0.429 to 0.887.

Conclusions: The proposed assessment form provides an evidence-based tool for nurses to effectively manage patients with closed thoracic drainage systems. Experimental and clinical measures confirm the tool’s reliability and validity.