Frequency of Minor Shifts in Body Position and Pressure Injury Development

Abstract

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of minor shifts in body position on the development of pressure injuries. DESIGN: A prospective, comparative, descriptive study. SUBJECTS AND SETTING: The sample comprised 78 bedridden patients aged 18 years or older, free of pressure injuries, and hospitalized in the Neurology and Internal Medicine clinics and intensive care units. The study setting was a state hospital in Burdur Province, Southwest Turkey; data were collected between March and September 2018. METHODS: Patients were monitored once weekly until the end of their stay or until pressure injury development. Data were collected using a researcher-designed data collection form. Patients' ability to make minor shifts in body position was categorized between 0 and 3 per movement group. RESULTS: Twenty-one (26.9%) of 78 participants developed a pressure injury; 90.4% (n = 19) were stage 1 pressure injuries. Pressure injuries occurred in 94.1% of the patients who did not make shifts in body position versus 80% of the patients who performed shifts every 4 hours. No pressure injuries developed in those patients who moved every hour (P = .00). CONCLUSIONS: Study findings support the importance of making minor shifts in body position for prevention of pressure injury in bedridden patients.