Family physicians in the prevention of decubitusulcer knowledge and awareness levels

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and awareness levels of family physicians who will work in primary health care organisations and who are currently working to prevent decubitus ulcer. Materials and Method: Our study is a multicentre, cross-sectional, descriptive survey study. A total of 400 physicians actively working in the branch of family medicine throughout Turkey were included in our study. Sociodemographic data form and knowledge assessment scale for pressure ulcer prevention were applied to the participants. The data obtained were analysed using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) 22.0 software. Statistical significance value was accepted as p< 0.05. Results: Participants who answered 16 questions or more (≥60%) correctly were qualified. Accordingly, 105 (26.25%) participants were successful and 295 (73.75%) participants were unsuccessful. The mean knowledge score from the whole scale was calculated as 48.88% (12.71/26 questions). In this study, which examined the knowledge levels of family physicians for the prevention of decubitus ulcer, the participants were 30 years of age or older, 5 years of practice or more, 3 years or more of total service in family medicine, worked in a home health unit in the past, worked in a palliative care centre in the past, and used a tool for decubitus ulcer risk assessment in the unit where they worked, It was determined that the total pupkai scores of the participants who received training to prevent decubitus ulcer, those who benefited from any source to prevent decubitus ulcer, those who encountered patients with decubitus ulcer more frequently, those who received training on decubitus ulcer after graduation and those who found themselves competent in the treatment of decubitus ulcer were significantly higher. Conclusions: According to the findings of our study, the success rate of family physicians in the scale was determined as 26.25%. According to the results of this study, it is necessary to increase the training of family physicians for the prevention of decubitus ulcer. In this way, it is thought that the development of pressure ulcers in patients can be prevented or reduced. Keywords: Family Medicine, Decubitus Ulcer, Knowledge Level.