Determination of Knowledge of Nurses Working in Surgical Clinics on Preventing Pressure Injuries

Abstract

Aim: This study was conducted to determine the knowledge of nurses working in surgical clinics about pressure injuries, prevention, and treatment. Material and Methods: The research sample consisted of 360 nurses working in surgical clinics in a public hospital in Ankara. In the data collection, forms prepared by the researcher by reviewing the literature and taking current guidelines as a source, containing questions to determine the socio-demographic characteristics of nurses and their level of knowledge about pressure injuries, were used. The data were analyzed by number, percentile, Kruskal Wallis H test, and Mann-Whitney U test. Results: The average score of nurses taken from the questions about pressure injuries was found as 51.98±14.52. It was seen that the themes in which average scores are lowest are etiology and risk factors, and the themes in which average scores are highest are treatment and care. It was determined that there was a statistically significant difference between the age, gender, education level, and previous education about pressure injury and the knowledge score averages of the nurses. Conclusion: In preventing pressure injuries, one of the health care quality indicators, nurses' knowledge and ability to identify risk factors are directly effective in prevention, treatment, and care. In parallel with the developments in science and technology, it is recommended to review the current literature on this subject, organize in-service training programs based on current guidelines, encourage nurses’ participation in courses or certificate programs, and inform them about in-house policies and procedures.