Pressure ulcer point prevalence and potential risk factors in ICU department for governmental hospitals in Palestine 2017. Cross sectional

Supervisor:

Dr. Jamal Qaddumi

Abstract:

Overview: Pressure ulcers (PUs) are significant problem in health care because it is not only affect the health of patient but also it increase the cost on the state from its complication. Pressure ulcer defined as localize injury, usually over bony prominence result from pressure or pressure with shear on bony prominence.

Aim: Determine the prevalence rate of pressure ulcer in ICU departments of government hospitals in Palestine and the potential risk factors of pressure ulcer.

Methodology: Cross-sectional design has been used to measure the prevalence rate of PUs in ICU departments of governmental hospitals and to study the potential risk factors of PUs developments.

Settings: The study was done in ICU departments of five governmental hospitals in Palestine.

Results: Total 115 participants included in the study, 6 participants excluded because they refused to sign informed consent, the final sample was 109 participants.  The results of analysis exhibit that prevalence rate of PUs in ICU department is 33%. The result with exclusion of PU stage 1 show lower prevalence (7.34%) than the total. Vertebra especially sacrum was the most common site of PU, the second common location was heel. The common stage of PUs was stage 1.  Also, the most common risk factors of PUs was length of stay in hospital, medical device and friction. Finally, the Braden scale and clinical judgmental both were nearly equal in predicting PU development risk.

Conclusion: The prevalence of pressure ulcer was (33%). The most common PU risk factors were length of stay in hospital, medical devices and friction. Braden scale and clinical judgmental both were nearly equal in predicting of PU development risk.

Recommendation: Increase nurses’ knowledge and learn them about stages of pressure ulcers and how to deal with them such as training courses and books for reading, especially in ICU, change position for patients each two hour and increase the nurse number during change position, arrangement the sheet the bed to prevent the friction and observe nurses by head nurse of the department during the doing of change position for patients.

Keywords: PUs, risk factors, prevalence, Braden scale, clinical judgmental.