Effectiveness of Demonstration on Knowledge Regarding Arterial Blood Gas Analysis among Second-Year B.Sc. Nursing Students at GIMS Government College of Nursing, Gadag

Background: Arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis is one of the most important investigations for assessing ventilation, oxygenation and acid?base balance in critically ill patients, and nurses are usually the first to see and act on the results. Deficits in ABG knowledge and practice among nurses and nursing students are widely reported, and structured teaching has been shown to improve them. Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of demonstration on knowledge regarding ABG analysis among second-year B.Sc. nursing students. Methods: A quantitative evaluative approach with a pre-experimental one-group pretest?posttest design was used. Ninety second-year B.Sc. nursing students of GIMS Government College of Nursing, Gadag, were selected by simple random sampling. Knowledge was assessed with a 30-item structured questionnaire administered as a structured interview, and practice with a 14-item observational checklist, before the demonstration and again one week afterwards. The tool was validated by ten experts and its reliability was established (split-half, Spearman?Brown r' = 0.82). Data were analyzed with frequency, percentage, mean, SD, paired t test, Pearson's correlation and chi-square test at the 0.05 level of significance. Results: In the pre-test, 72.2% of students (n=65) had inadequate knowledge 75.6% (n=68) and 73.3% (n=66) had adequate knowledge. The mean knowledge score rows from 9.53±8.03 to 22.86±6.84 (paired t=18.36). Knowledge showed a significant positive correlation (r=0.682, p<0.001). Pre-test knowledge was significantly associated with attendance at workshops/seminars and previous clinical exposure to ABG, and pre-test with age, workshops/seminars and previous exposure. Conclusion: Demonstration was effective in improving the knowledge of ABG analysis among second-year B.Sc. nursing students. Demonstration-based teaching, supported by early clinical exposure and workshops, may be incorporated into nursing curricula to prepare students for safe care of critically ill patients.