Survey of Concepts Held by Bedside Nurses Relative to the Prevention of Pressure Sores

This study was concerned with the problem of determining what understandings the bedside nurse has of the principles involved in the prevention of pressure sores. Since pressure sores are still a problem in nursing care, a study such as this was needed to ascertain the knowledge of the bedside nurse relative to their prevention. The immediate purpose of the study was to determine the concepts held by bedside nurses by asking them to state what they did to prevent pressure sores. The long range purpose was to contribute to better in-service education through the use of information gained in the survey. It was hypothesized that there is a lack of understanding on the part of the bedside nurse of the nursing procedures necessary for the prevention of pressure sores. The descriptive-survey method was used for this study. Fifty selected bedside nurses, irrespective of their levels of preparation, were interviewed in four hospitals in the greater Los Angeles area. To secure uniformity an interview guide was prepared and followed. A review of literature was made to give a background of information. The findings indicated that nursing personnel may have accepted pressure sores as a part of the patient\u27s illness, thus weakening their determination to prevent the problem. Less than twenty percent of the group understood more than a few preventive measures. The importance of turning patients was understood by eighty percent, but eighty percent still depended to some extent on the application of medicaments to the skin without understanding what effect this had on the skin. The prevention of pressure sores in patients with specific conditions was not clearly understood. Outside of teaching their patients to turn frequently, the group did not understand the importance of gaining the patient\u27s cooperation and promoting his rehabilitation through teaching