Effectiveness of an Interventional Program on Nurses ‎Practices about Prevention of Pressure Ulcer at the ‎Intensive Care Unit

Abstract

Background: Pressure ulcer (PU) is a localized injury induced by prolonged pressure for a longer period to the skin and underlying soft tissue that leads to tissue ischemia, which in turn, decreases the supply of oxygen, essential nutrients, and ultimately tissue necrosis and can lead to serious complications including death. Aims of the study: to evaluate the effectiveness of an interventional program on nurses practices regarding pressure ulcer prevention at the intensive care unit in Al-Diwaniyah Teaching Hospital, and to find out the relationships between nurse’s practices and their socio-demographic characteristics (age, level of education, years of experience in intensive care unit, and participation in training courses). Methodology: A pre-experimental design (one group: pre and post-test) was carried out at the Intensive Care Unit in Al-Diwaniyah Teaching Hospital from October 5th 2020, to April 6th 2021. A non-probability (purposive) sampling has been performed during a selection of (27) nurses who works at the intensive care unit were exposed to the interventional program. The researcher used observational practices checklist which included (28) items. The validity of the study instrument was determined through the (15) of experts in the specialty field. Results: The results of this study revealed that were significant differences in nursing staff' practices scores in the post-test for the study group compared with scores in pre-test (in the posttest M =2.89 versus in the pre-test M =1.04). The findings also showed that there is no statistical relationship between nursing staff` practices and their demographic characteristics. Conclusion: The study concludes that the effectiveness of an interventional program on nursing staff` practices regarding pressure ulcer prevention is positive at a high rate. Recommendations: The study recommended providing an interventional program periodically to the nursing staff' who working at ICU in order to enhance their knowledge and practices level regarding PU prevention