Intensive care nurses’ knowledge of pressure injury prevention

Background Pressure injuries (PI) continue to be a major public health concern due to their high prevalence in critically ill patients admitted in the intensive care units (ICUs). The prevalence continues to increase despite the scientific and technological advancements in pressure injury prevention. Poor knowledge and lack of using evidence-based practice by nurses have a significant contribution to the higher prevalence of pressure injuries le ading to prolonged hospital stays and poor patient outcomes. The purpose of this study was to describe the intensive care nurses’ knowledge of PI prevention. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional design was used collect the data from 101 nurses working in four ICUs of an academic hospital in Gauteng Province, South Africa. The revised version of the Pressure Ulcer Knowledge Assessment Tool (PUKAT 2.0) was used to collect data from a convenience sample of intensive care nurses. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse data. Statistical tests included the Shapiro Wilk test, univariate and multivariate linear regression and Cronbach alpha coefficient tests. A p-value of less than 0.05 was deemed statistically significant. Results The mean knowledge of nurses (N = 101) was 42.16% (SD 12.09). This score indicates poor knowledge of pressure injury prevention. The lowest scores were found in prevention of pressure injuries” (25%) and “classification and observation” (39.5%), respectively. The higher level of education (14.00; 95% CI 2.90-25.11; p = 0.014), seniority (15.58; 95% CI 2.92–28.24; p = 0.016) position, and years of experience (6.38; 95% CI 9.70–5.45; p = 0.039), were statistically significant to predict appropriate prevention and management of pressure injuries. Conclusion The study findings revealed that intensive care nurses lack knowledge of prevention measures, classification, and observation of stages. This may indicate that they may not be able to use risk assessment tools effectively in clinical practice. Improving training and providing intensive care nurses with adequate information about evidence-based practices to prevent PI could strengthen their contribution to patient safety.