Impact of Nursing Education on the Proportion of Appropriately Drawn Vancomycin Trough Concentrations.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have investigated the timing of vancomycin trough concentration collection in the inpatient setting. To date, there are no published studies on the impact of targeted nursing staff education on the appropriate timing of vancomycin trough concentration collection. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of educational sessions on nursing staff knowledge regarding vancomycin and proper collection of troughs. METHODS: The nursing staffs of 5 hospital units with a high volume of vancomycin usage were targeted for voluntary vancomycin educational sessions. Comprehension of the educational content was measured by a 5-question pre-/posteducation quiz. Vancomycin trough concentrations were evaluated during a 2-month period pre-/posteducation for appropriate timing of sample draw, defined as ≤45 minutes prior to the next scheduled vancomycin dose. RESULTS: A total of 114 nurses participated in the education sessions. The mean pretest score was 3.91 and the mean posttest score was 4.89 (P < .001). Preeducation, 69% of trough concentrations were collected appropriately. Posteducation, 74% of samples were collected within the 45-minute time frame (P = .20). CONCLUSIONS: A significant increase in short-term comprehension regarding vancomycin was seen posteducation. There was a nonsignificant increase in appropriately timed trough concentration collection posteducation. Further education of nursing staffs may be necessary to lessen timing errors.