Pressure Injury Prevention with Staff Education

Hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) are a persistent and costly problem. Based on the evidence in published studies, this project team conducted a gap analysis of staff's pressure injury prevention (PIP) knowledge in an orthopedic/surgical inpatient unit using a psychometrically tested tool, the Pressure Ulcer Knowledge Assessment Tool (PUKAT 2.0). In accordance with the PUKAT 2.0 results, educational interventions were provided in one-on-one, short sessions addressing knowledge gaps over two weeks for a staff of 57 individuals. The PUKAT 2.0 tool was used to reassess staff knowledge of PIP two weeks after providing education. The team also examined the incidence of HAPIs before and after the educational intervention. Participants were nurses and nursing assistants in an orthopedic-surgical unit. The student’s t-test was used to analyze pre- and post-education PUKAT 2.0 scores. Results: The mean correct for the 26-item PUKAT 2.0 in the pre-intervention period was 15.57 (SD = 4.69) versus the post-intervention period 17.00 (SD = 3.72) out of a total possible of 26 correct. The results were not statistically significant p=0.276 with a small effect size, d=0.30. Comparing HAPIs before and after educational intervention, there was a decline from 2 HAPIs prior to the project start, down to 0 HAPIs after education was provided on the unit. Conclusions: Consistent with findings in the literature, knowledge gaps were found in the areas of PI classification and observation, pressure and shear, and duration of pressure and shear among orthopedic-surgical bedside staff. Overall, an improvement was seen among before and after staff scores of PI knowledge. However, a larger sample size was needed to evaluate the effectiveness of in-person educational interventions on PIP for statistical significance.