Preventing Pressure Injuries in Prone Positioned Patients in the Critical Care Unit

Problem statement – Pressure injuries acquired by critical care patients in the prone position negatively impact their health, increases the length of stay, increases medical costs, decrease hospital reimbursement, and result in poorer patient outcomes. Purpose – Determine if implementing a checklist before the prone position maneuver and maintenance skincare thereafter decreases pressure injuries in prone-positioned critical care patients. Methods – Pre-intervention data will be collected retrospectively, and post-intervention data will be gathered in a seasonally similar timeframe for critical care patients in the prone position and the incidence of pressure injuries. Inclusion criteria – All patients in the critical care unit, placed in the prone position who are ventilated and sedated, will be included in this study. Analysis – A paired sample t-test will be used to evaluate whether patients with the checklist implemented before and during a prone position maneuver experience less incidence of pressure injuries. Implications for practice – Reducing the incidence of pressure injuries can lead to improved patient outcomes, decreased length of stay, and a decrease in lost revenue for the hospital