Practice on pressure ulcer prevention among nurses in selected public hospitals, Tigray, Ethiopia

Abstract

Objectives: Pressure ulcers are localized cellular damages to the skin and underlying tissues caused by pressure, shearing and frictional force. The aim of this study is to assess practices towards pressure ulcer prevention among nurses in the Central Zone of Tigray, Ethiopia, from September 10, 2017 to June 15, 2018. This study has also identified the major barriers that hamper nurses from preventing pressure ulcers. These barriers were heavy workload, inadequate training, and lack of universal guideline and shortage of resource. 17.2% of the participants had a good practice and 82.2% of the respondents had a poor practice of pressure ulcer prevention. Result: Finding of this study showed that respondents have inadequate knowledge which may have led to their poor practice towards pressure ulcer prevention. Immediate intervention should be done on public hospitals of central Tigray to improve nurses' practice towards pressure ulcer prevention.