Main Factors Regarding Pressure Injury in Intensive Care Unit Patients and the Effects of Nursing Interventions

Objective: This study aims to determine the risk factors affecting the development of pressure injuries for inpatients in the intensive care unit, to determine the nursing interventions conducted to prevent pressure injuries, and to detect healing of the pressure injuries. Materials and Methods: This follow up -longitudinal type study was conducted with 48 patients at an Intensive Care Unit in a public hospital between 01.09.2018 and 30.11.2018. Study data were collected using the Braden scale for predicting pressure injury risk, pressure injury assessment form, and pressure injury healing assessment form. Results: Patients who had a hospitalization duration of 15 or more days, were supported with mechanical ventilators, were unconscious, were fed enterally, were immobile in bed, had an albumin level of 2.5 g/dL or below, or had a hemoglobin level of 10 g/dL or below had significantly more pressure injuries (p<0.05). No significant difference was found with nursing interventions (positioning, massaging, using barrier cream, moisturizing the skin, keeping the bed linen dry and stretched) performed in the clinic and the development of a pressure injury or healing of pressure injuries present during admission to the clinic (p>0.05). Conclusion: The main risk factors for developing pressure injuries in inpatients in the intensive care units were enteral feeding, consciousness or unconsciousness, and level of hemoglobin. More pressure ulcers occurred on patients who were positioned and whose skin was moistened because nurses applied interventions to patients with a high risk of pressure ulcers. Additionally, there was no improvement in the healing of the compression injuries.