Factors Affecting Prediction of Pressure Ulcer among Patients at Critical Care Unit: Suggested Nursing Care Plan

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Clinical instructor /Faculty of Nursing Sohag University

2 Ass. Professor /Medical Surgical Nursing Department/Ain Shams University

Abstract

Background: Pressure ulcer (PU) commonly called Pressure injury (PI), pressure sores (PS),
decubitus ulcers (DU) or bedsores (BS), are localized injury occur most often in the skin and
subcutaneous tissue over bony prominences. Aim: This study aimed to assess factors affecting
prediction of pressure ulcer among patients at critical care unites. Design A descriptive exploratory
design was utilized for the conduction of this study. Setting the study was carried out in critical
care unit (ICU) of Sohag University Hospital. Study subject: A purposefulsample of seventy patients.
Tools: I – patient assessment form which includes patients demographic characteristics' and patients’
clinical data, II- Braden scale to detect high risk patient for pressure ulcer, III-factors affecting
prediction of pressure ulcer tool. Results: revealed that, many factors affecting prediction of pressure
ulcers, such as patient’s related factors, 55.7% of the studied patients were bed ridden, 87.1% of
them were incontinence of stool, 72.9% having a low level of consciousness, 74.3% of the studied
patients exposed to shear and friction on the skin, 64.3% were diabetic, and 55.7% were suffered
from vascular disease. Almost all of the nurses’ practices regarding pressure ulcer prevention were
poor, and according to Braden scale assessment 55.7% of patients admitted to ICU were at high
risk for pressure ulcer. Conclusion: more than half of patients admitted to ICU had sever risk for
pressure ulcer according to Braden scale, more than half of patients were bed ridden, most of them
were incontinence of stool, three quarter of patients having a low level of consciousness and were
exposed to shear and friction on the skin, nearly two third of patients were diabetic and more than
half of them were suffered from vascular disease. All of nurses’ practices regarding pressure ulcer
prevention were poor, and most of patients did not have environmental factors to prevent pressure ulcer.
Recommendations: Application of Braden scale tool to assess all admitted patientsto intensive care units.
Braden scale should become as daily nursing assessment task.

Keywords