Risk Management and Healthcare Policy (Nov 2022)
Critical Care Nurses’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Pressure Injury Treatment: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Survey
Abstract
Jiamin Li,1 Chen Zhu,1 Ying Liu,1 Baoyun Song,2 Jingfen Jin,3 Yilan Liu,4 Xianxiu Wen,5 Shouzhen Cheng,6 Xinjuan Wu1 1Department of Nursing, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Nursing, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, Zhengzhou, People’s Republic of China; 3Zhejiang University School of Medicine Second Affiliated Hospital, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Nursing, Wuhan Union Hospital, Jianghan District, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Nursing, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences and Sichuan People’s Hospital, Chengdu, People’s Republic of China; 6Department of Nursing, Sun Yat-sen University First Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Xinjuan Wu, Email [email protected]: Pressure injury is a common problem in intensive care units. Critical care nurses play an important role in multidisciplinary teams performing pressure injury treatment. Identifying the clinical status of pressure injury treatment may contribute to improving care quality.Aim: To identify the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding pressure injury treatment in critical care nurses.Design: A cross-sectional survey.Methods: Secondary data were extracted from a multicenter clinical trial. Knowledge and attitudes toward pressure injury treatment were assessed through a self-administered eight-item questionnaire. The observed practices were recorded using a case report form. The report was in accordance with the STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement.Results: A total of 950 critical care nurses in 15 hospitals from six provinces/municipalities of China were investigated. The mean knowledge score was 2.89 ± 1.16 (95% confidence interval: 2.82– 2.97) out of a possible total of 5 points. The correct rates of selecting wound dressings and pain management were 34.4% and 45.6%, respectively. The mean attitude score was 9.07 ± 1.09 (95% confidence interval: 9.00– 9.13) out of a possible total of 12 points. A total of 2092 patient days of pressure injury treatment practices were observed and recorded. Repositioning was the most commonly employed treatment measure (98.8%). Foam dressing was the common dressing for stage I (53.6%), stage II (47.5%), and more severe pressure injury (67.9%), including stage III, IV, unstageable, and suspected deep tissue injury.Conclusion: Critical care nurses exhibited a generally low level of knowledge and moderate attitudes regarding pressure injury treatment. Practices of pressure injury treatment were generally acceptable.Keywords: pressure injury, treatment, knowledge, attitude, practice, evidence implementation
