Effect of Pressure Injury Prevention Guides Used In a Pediatric Intensive Care

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a pressure injury prevention guide used in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) on the occurrence of pressure injuries. The design is a pre-post intervention with a control group and a prospective intervention group. Pressure injuries occurred on 9.4% of children in the nontreatment group, and in 3.6% of children in the treatment group. There was a statistically significant difference in the occurrence of pressure injuries between the nontreatment group and the treatment group (p = .033). The average Braden Q pressure injury score was 12.20 +/- 2.280 at the beginning of the intensive care hospitalization, and 13.73 +/- 3.312 at discharge in the treatment group (p < .001). The results show that the risk of pressure injuries was reduced and pressure injuries occurred later when an evidence-based pressure injury prevention guide was used.