Medical device-related pressure ulcer (MDRPU) in acute care hospitals and its perceived importance and prevention performance by clinical nurses

Abstract

The incidence rate of patients developing pressure ulcers associated with medical device use is underreported in Korea. This study aims to determine clinical nurses' perceived importance and performance towards medical device-related pressure injury prevention. A total of 620 nurses from seven hospitals attending continuing education programmes in Korea responded to self-administered questionnaires. Data were collected from March to December 2017 on a 4-point-Likert scale on nurses' perceived importance and performance for prevention of medical device-related pressure ulcer (MDRPU). Secondary data analysis was performed through reported pressure injury incidence, and questionnaire data were analysed using descriptive statistics, t-test, and anova. The overall rates of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers and MDRPU were 16.9% and 0.8%, respectively. The proportion of MDRPU was 5.02%. Its perceived importance (3.56 ± 0.48) was also higher than prevention performance (3.13 ± 0.90) among nurses. Education level and participation in pressure injury management training was found to enhance prevention performance by nurses. Therefore, informational and educational programmes based on clinical practice are necessary for clinical nurses to focus on perceived importance and performance towards prevention of medical device-related pressure injury and pressure ulcer care.