Abstract
Background: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a very common healthcare-associated infection (HCAI) in mechanically ventilated patients in the intensive care units (ICUs). It has been linked to increased morbidity, mortality, hospital stay and healthcare costs. Guidelines have been established to minimize the occurrence of VAP and also rely, to a large extent, on the knowledge and compliance of healthcare workers with recommended preventive measures. Objective: To find out the Knowledge about the prevention of ventilator associated pneumonia. Methodology: The study was descriptive cross-sectional study that included 100 health care workers from October 2025 to March 2026 in the ICUs of Lady Reading Hospital, and Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar, Pakistan. A structured questionnaire was used to gather data about the knowledge of evidence-based guidelines for the prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia. Demographic characteristics and knowledge scores were summarized using descriptive statistics. A one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey HSD post hoc tests were used to compare knowledge scores between groups of professionals. Results: 102 healthcare workers participated in the study, with 57.8% nurses, 29.4% respiratory therapists, and 12.7% Physicians. Knowledge of evidence-based VAP prevention guidelines was good, with more than 90% of the respondents aware of head-of-bed elevation, oral hygiene with chlorhexidine, optimal endotracheal tube cuff pressure, early mobility, and spontaneous breathing trials. However, significant amounts of missing knowledge about suctioning practice, as only 46.1% of them correctly identified the recommended route of suctioning and 48.0% the recommended patient position during the suctioning. Significant difference was found in the knowledge scores between the various professional groups (F = 18.022, p < 0.001) with the highest knowledge scores belonging to respiratory therapists, followed by Physicians and nurses. Conclusion: The knowledge of the evidence-based guidelines for VAP prevention was good among healthcare workers, with particularly high levels of understanding around head-of-bed elevation, oral hygiene, cuff pressure management, and early mobility. Nevertheless, there was a considerable lack of knowledge regarding the practices of suctioning. Physicians and nurses did not perform as well as respiratory therapists in their knowledge scores