Evaluation of information attitudes and practices of intensive care nurses about pressure ulcers

Pressure ulcers (PU) is a preventable health problem with high morbidity and mortality in the world, despite scientific and technological advances in health care services. Although it is a multidisciplinary responsibility, unlike other health professionals, nurses, who are together with the patient for 24 hours, have a great responsibility in preventing pressure ulcers. The aim of this study is to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes and practices of nurses working in the intensive care unit about pressure ulcers. The universe of the descriptive and cross-sectional study consisted of all hospitals located in the central districts, Şehitkamil and Şahinbey within the borders of Gaziantep province. The hospitals in these districts are stratified as state, private and training research hospitals and determined by simple random method, Şehitkamil State Hospital, Sanko University Sani Konukoğlu Practice and Research Hospital, Dr. Ersin Arslan Training and Research Hospital central building, Dr. Ersin Arslan Training and Research Hospital Mucahitler Annex Building, Abdulkadir Yuksel State Hospital, Private Hatem Hospital are included. The population of the study consisted of 575 nurses working in the adult intensive care units of these hospitals. Sample selection was not made and those who did not meet the research criteria, those on leave and those who did not want to participate were excluded. The study was completed with 442 nurses who filled out the form completely. Data were collected between June and September 2021. Nurses' Introductory Characteristics Form, Nursing Practices for Pressure Ulcer Prevention Form, Modified Pieper Pressure Ulcer Knowledge Test and Attitude Scale to Prevent Pressure Ulcers were used to collect data. For statistical analysis, using SPSS version 24.0 package program, number, percentage, mean, standard deviation, Student t, Mann Whitney U, One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and LSD multiple comparison tests, Kruskal Wallis, All Pairwise multiple comparison test and Spearman correlation coefficient was used. The mean age of the participants in the study was 26.67±4.05, 60.9% (n:269) were female, 77.8% (n:344) were undergraduate graduates, 45% (n:199) were general intensive care unit works. It was found that the nurses got an average of 29.26±7.48 points from the pressure ulcer knowledge test (PUKT), and their frequency of encountering pressure ulcers, their use of a protocol for pressure ulcers in their unit, their finding that their own practices were sufficient, and their reading the EPUAP guideline affected their PUKT scores (p<0.05). Nurses got an average of 40.85±6.28 points from the scale of attitude towards preventing pressure ulcers (APUP), and their gender, education level, working style, their use of a protocol for pressure ulcer in their unit, the number of patients cared for, the person caring for pressure ulcers in the institution, their It was found that their applications were sufficient, their knowledge about EPUAP, their reading of the EPUAP guide, and their training to prevent pressure ulcers affected APUP scores (p<0.05). In addition, a significant positive correlation was found between the PUKT scores of the nurses and the APUP scores (p<0.05). In this respect, it is recommended to provide nurses with all kinds of in-service training that emphasizes the importance of the subject, increases their awareness, develops positive attitudes and transfers them to practice, to ensure their participation in certified training programs, and to supervise the appropriateness and use of institutions by determining pressure ulcer care protocols in accordance with evidence-based practices and international standards. Keywords: Pressure ulcer; Intensive Care Nurses; Knowledge Attitude and Practice