Orthopaedic nurses' knowledge about pressure ulcers in Iran: a cross-sectional study

Objective: To assess nurses' knowledge about pressure ulcers in an Iranian orthopaedic ward. Method: A cross-sectional, self-report questionnaire study using Pieper's Pressure Ulcer Knowledge Test (PUKT). Orthopaedic nurses' knowledge about pressure ulcers was examined in two teaching hospitals in Iran. The questionnaire consisted of 41 true or false assertions, categorised according to pressure ulcer classification and onset, wound characteristics and preventive measure. Results: Of 68 nurses, 57 participated in this study (response rate of 84%); of the respondents, 68% (n=39) were women and 32% (n=18) were men. Mean age of participants was 30.2 +/- 5.1 years and mean years of experience was 6.9 +/- 4.6 years. The overall rate of correct responses by nurses was 70.1%. Nurses had the highest level of knowledge in the pressure ulcer prevention category and the lowest in the pressure ulcer categorisation and onset section. No relationship was found between level of knowledge and nurses' years of experience. Conclusion: Pressure ulcer prevention is one of the most important roles of nurses in an orthopaedic setting. The results of this study suggest that orthopaedic nurses in Iran were not sufficiently knowledgeable about pressure ulcers. Therefore, there is a need to improve their knowledge with some targeted, educational programmes. Declaration of interest: There were no external sources of funding for this study. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.