Interventions for Pressure Injury Prevention in ICU Patients
Disciplines
Critical Care Nursing | Medicine and Health Sciences | Nursing
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Background: In the ICU, postoperative patients are not able to ambulate until they are off sedation and extubated, increasing their risk for developing pressure injuries. This can also increase a patient’s risk for infection and complicate recovery by potentially leading to sepsis or death. The purpose of this project is to assess current practices of pressure injury prevention and suggest the implementation of the best interventions for pressure injury prevention. Brief literature review: The literature suggests that the use of the Braden scale and hourly skin assessments along with turns every two hours and offloading equipment reduce the risk of pressure injuries. Offloading equipment like the pressure-reducing mattresses was also shown to reduce pressure injuries significantly more than normal mattresses; both artificial intelligence and proper education on ambulating to a chair were found to play a role in reducing pressure injuries throughout various research studies. Methods: There are several current methods used to prevent pressure injuries; this proposal will focus on the use of foam mattresses, turning, and education as prevention methods. These three interventions will be started on patients chosen randomly, and they will be assessed for any indications of pressure injuries. Evaluation: To evaluate my proposal, I would assess the patient’s outcome to see which of the three interventions implemented provided the largest reduction of pressure injuries. It is also important to take into consideration criteria such as when the interventions were implemented and specific patient risk factors to get a thorough understanding of which interventions were best at reducing the incidence of pressure injuries.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
Nursing
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Dr. Christie Emerson
Additional Faculty
Lynnda Campbell, Nursing, ljc4561@kennesaw.edu
Interventions for Pressure Injury Prevention in ICU Patients
Background: In the ICU, postoperative patients are not able to ambulate until they are off sedation and extubated, increasing their risk for developing pressure injuries. This can also increase a patient’s risk for infection and complicate recovery by potentially leading to sepsis or death. The purpose of this project is to assess current practices of pressure injury prevention and suggest the implementation of the best interventions for pressure injury prevention. Brief literature review: The literature suggests that the use of the Braden scale and hourly skin assessments along with turns every two hours and offloading equipment reduce the risk of pressure injuries. Offloading equipment like the pressure-reducing mattresses was also shown to reduce pressure injuries significantly more than normal mattresses; both artificial intelligence and proper education on ambulating to a chair were found to play a role in reducing pressure injuries throughout various research studies. Methods: There are several current methods used to prevent pressure injuries; this proposal will focus on the use of foam mattresses, turning, and education as prevention methods. These three interventions will be started on patients chosen randomly, and they will be assessed for any indications of pressure injuries. Evaluation: To evaluate my proposal, I would assess the patient’s outcome to see which of the three interventions implemented provided the largest reduction of pressure injuries. It is also important to take into consideration criteria such as when the interventions were implemented and specific patient risk factors to get a thorough understanding of which interventions were best at reducing the incidence of pressure injuries.