Prevention and Early Detection of Pressure Ulcers in Hospitalized Patients

Bridging the gap: ICU nurses' experiences in detecting pressure injuries across diverse skin tones

BACKGROUND

Pressure Injury detection remains a challenge in patients with darker skin tones due to the absence of visible erythema, resulting in delayed diagnosis and poorer patient outcomes. Despite international guidelines, nurses face barriers in early recognition due to knowledge gaps and inadequate training in skin tone diversity. A timely assessment is critical for effective treatment. This necessitates that healthcare professionals recognise how early pressure ulcer signs may present in patients of all skin tone types.

AIM

To explore ICU nurses' experiences in assessing pressure areas in patients with dark skin tones and identify challenges and solutions.

METHODOLOGY

Following ethical approval, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 ICU Nurses. Interview data were analysed using thematic analysis using NVivo software.

FINDINGS

Three key themes emerged: (1) Gaps in education and training on diverse skin tones, (2) Challenges in early detection due to "white normativity" in assessment tools, and (3) The need for inclusive education and advanced diagnostic tools to mitigate disparities.

CONCLUSION

Urgent improvements in nursing curricula and clinical training are required to ensure equitable pressure injury detection for all skin tones. The study advocates for greater inclusivity in educational materials, continuous professional development, and the integration of advanced tools like infrared thermography and subepidermal moisture scanners.

Preventing pressure injury in open-heart surgical patients: A systematic review

Background

Cardiac surgical patients are highly prone to developing surgery-related Pressure injuries (PIs). Prevention of PIs is an important patient safety priority in healthcare settings and patients care. So the aim of this study is to detect the effectiveness of prevention strategies to decrease PIs prevalence and incidence in patients undergoing open heart surgery.

Method

We identified studies through Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Cochrane, and ProQuest databases from inception through September 2022 with restrictions on the English language. Cochrane RoB 2, JBI, and NIH checklist were carried out as critical appraisal Tools to investigate the studies risk of bias. Finally, 10 studies with a total sample No. 1348, which fulfilled eligibility criteria were included in final systematic review.

Result

Most common interventions investigated in included studies were addressing impairments skin care which included the use of multilayer silicone foam, Care bundle and multiple intervention programs, alternative head inflatable pads, pressure-reducing foam mattresses, and electric bed frames as the effective PIs Prevention (PIP) strategies. While repositioning is one of the important causes mentioned in most PIP protocols, there was not adequate evidence to recommend any special turning regimens for PIP.

Conclusion

Given current evidence, multilayer silicone foam, Care bundle and multiple intervention programs, alternative inflatable head pads, pressure-reducing foam mattresses, and electric bed frames are effective strategies to prevent pressure ulcers. Further investigations are needed to specify the cost-effectiveness of mentioned strategies and RCTs to determine other PIP strategies such as repositioning and mobilization, nutritional supplementation, creams, and co-interventions effects.

[Factors Predicting the Interface Pressure Related to Pressure Injury in Intensive Care Unit Patients]

PURPOSE

Interface pressure is a factor that contributes to the occurrence of pressure injuries. This study aimed to investigate interface pressure at common sites of pressure injury (occipital, gluteal and peritrochanteric areas), to explore the relationships among risk factors, skin condition and interface pressure, and to identify risk factors influencing interface pressure.

METHODS

A total of 100 patients admitted to the intensive care unit were enrolled at a tertiary teaching hospital in Korea. Interface pressure was recorded by a scanning aid device (PalmQ). Patient data regarding age, pulmonary disease, Braden Scale score, body mass index, serum albumin, hemoglobin, mean blood pressure, body temperature, and oxygen saturation were included as risk factors. Data collected from July to September 2016 were analyzed using binary logistic regression.

RESULTS

The mean interface pressure of the occipital, gluteal, and right and left peritrochanteric areas were 37.96 (±14.90), 41.15 (±16.04), 53.44 (±24.67), and 54.33 (±22.80) mmHg, respectively. Predictive factors for pressure injuries in the occipital area were age ≥70 years (OR 3.45, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.19~9.98), serum albumin deficit (OR 2.88, 95% CI: 1.00~8.26) and body temperature ≥36.5℃ (OR 3.12, 95% CI: 1.17~8.17); age ≥70 years (OR 2.81, 95% CI: 1.10~7.15) in the right peritrochanteric area; and body temperature ≥36.5℃ (OR 2.86, 95% CI: 1.17~6.98) in the left peritrochanteric area.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that old age, hypoalbuminemia, and high body temperature may be contributory factors to increasing interface pressure; therefore, careful assessment and nursing care of these patients are needed to prevent pressure injury. Further studies are needed to establish cutoff values of interface pressure for patients with pressure ulcers.

Incidence of pressure ulcers in cardiopulmonary intensive care unit patients

Objective Identify and analyze the incidence coefficients of pressure ulcers (PU) and the risk factors for PU development in critical patients with cardiopulmonary diseases. Method A prospective cohort study conducted in the cardiopulmonary intensive care unit (ICU) of a large hospital in the city of São Paulo, from November 2013 to February 2014. In total, 370 patients over 18 years old who did not present PU at admission and who had been in the ICU for less than 24 hours were studied. Data were analyzed by univariate and multivariate analyses (Classification And Regression Tree - CART). Results The incidence coefficients of PU were: 11.0% for total participants, 8.0% for male and 3.0% for female patients (p=0.018); 10.0% for white patients and 6.5% for patients 60 years or older. The main risk factors were length of stay in the ICU for 9.5 days or more, age 42.5 years or older, and being of the white race. Conclusion This study was related to the epidemiology of PU in critical patients with cardiopulmonary diseases, facilitating the planning of specific preventive care for these patients.

[Development of the nursing diagnosis risk for pressure ulcer]

OBJECTIVE

The study objective was to develop the definition and compile the risk factors for a new Nursing Diagnosis entitled "Risk for pressure ulcer". The process was guided using the research question, "What are the risk factors for development of a PU and what is its definition?"

METHOD

An integrative literature review was conducted of articles published in Portuguese, English or Spanish from 2002 to 2012 and indexed on the Lilacs/SCIELO, MEDLINE/PubMed Central and Web of Science databases. The final sample comprised 21 articles that provided answers to the research question. These articles were analyzed and summarized in charts.

RESULTS

A definition was constructed and 19 risk factors were selected for the new nursing diagnosis, "Risk for pressure ulcer".

CONCLUSIONS

Identification and definition of the components of the new nursing diagnosis should aid nurses to prevent pressure ulcer events.

Improving Outcomes by Implementing a Pressure Ulcer Prevention Program (PUPP): Going beyond the Basics

A multidisciplinary process improvement program was initiated at the University of Miami Hospital (UMH) in 2009 to identify the prevalence of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers (HAPU) at the institution and to implement interventions to reduce the incidence of HAPU. This deliberate and thoughtful committee-driven process evaluated care, monitored results, and designed evidence-based strategic initiatives to manage and reduce the rate of HAPU. As a result all inpatient beds were replaced with support surfaces, updated care delivery protocols were created, and monitored, turning schedules were addressed, and a wound, ostomy, and continence (WOC) nurse and support staff were hired. These initial interventions resulted in a decrease in the prevalence of HAPU at UMH from 11.7% of stage II to IV ulcers in the second quarter, 2009 to 2.1% the third quarter. The rate remained at or near the 2009 UMH benchmark of 3.1% until the first quarter of 2012 when the rate rose to 4.1%. At that time new skin products were introduced into practice and continuing re-education was provided. The rate of HAPU dropped to 2.76% by the second quarter of 2012 and has remained steadily low at 1%-2% for nine consecutive quarters.

Potentially preventable complications of urinary tract infections, pressure areas, pneumonia, and delirium in hospitalised dementia patients: retrospective cohort study

OBJECTIVES

To identify rates of potentially preventable complications for dementia patients compared with non-dementia patients.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort design using hospital discharge data for dementia patients, case matched on sex, age, comorbidity and surgical status on a 1 : 4 ratio to non-dementia patients.

SETTING

Public hospital discharge data from the state of New South Wales, Australia for 2006/2007.

PARTICIPANTS

426 276 overnight hospital episodes for patients aged 50 and above (census sample).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Rates of preventable complications, with episode-level risk adjustment for 12 complications that are known to be sensitive to nursing care.

RESULTS

Controlling for age and comorbidities, surgical dementia patients had higher rates than non-dementia patients in seven of the 12 complications: urinary tract infections, pressure ulcers, delirium, pneumonia, physiological and metabolic derangement (all at p<0.0001), sepsis and failure to rescue (at p<0.05). Medical dementia patients also had higher rates of these complications than did non-dementia patients. The highest rates and highest relative risk for dementia patients compared with non-dementia patients, in both medical and surgical populations, were found in four common complications: urinary tract infections, pressure areas, pneumonia and delirium.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with non-dementia patients, hospitalised dementia patients have higher rates of potentially preventable complications that might be responsive to nursing interventions.

The relationship among pressure ulcers, oxygenation, and perfusion in mechanically ventilated patients in an intensive care unit

PURPOSE

We examined the relationships among oxygenation, tissue perfusion, and other comorbid conditions not incorporated into the Norton Scale, and pressure ulcer (PU) development in subjects receiving mechanical ventilation.

DESIGN

Descriptive, observational study.

SETTING AND SUBJECTS

The setting was our university hospital's surgical/emergency intensive care unit in Istanbul province, Turkey. The sample comprised 30 patients who were older than 18 years, did not have a PU on admission, and had been mechanically ventilated for more than 24 hours when data collection began.

METHODS

Skin integrity and a PU risk, using the Norton Scale, were administered twice daily. In addition, serum blood testing, vital signs, and data regarding ventilation and oxygenation status were obtained from the patient's electronic medical records.

RESULTS

Slightly less than half of subjects were women (n = 14, 46.7%). Their mean age was 54.36 years (SD = 20.68). Pressure ulcers developed in 5 patients (16.7%); all PUs were located on the heel. All ulcers were initially observed as stage I lesions; 1 progressed to a stage II ulcer and 1 progressed to a stage III ulcer. Patients who developed pressure ulcers have higher serum glucose levels (z = -2.198; P = .028), higher serum pH levels (z = -2.031; P = .028), and lower diastolic blood pressures (z = 0.055; P = .057) than those who remained ulcer free.

CONCLUSION

Our results demonstrate that mechanically ventilated patients who develop PUs were more likely to have significantly higher blood glucose levels, significantly lower diastolic blood pressure values, and significantly higher serum pH values than were patients who remained free of PUs. Nurses who care for mechanically ventilated patients should recognize these factors and initiate preventive interventions as indicated.

Reaching for the moon: achieving zero pressure ulcer prevalence

Following implementation of a programme to eradicate hospital-acquired pressure ulcers in one US hospital, prevalence fell from 9.5% in 2007 to zero in December 2008. Central to its success is that the programme was a management priority.