Date of Award
2023
Document Type
Open Access Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Nursing (MAN)
Department
Nursing
First Advisor
Joyce P. Miller, DNP, RN
Second Advisor
Pauline Abraham, DNP, RN
Third Advisor
Amy Nelson, Ph.D., RN
Abstract
Skincare is an important intervention to prevent pressure injuries (PIs) during hospitalization. Prolonged pressure on a body part can result in restricted blood flow and oxygen, inadequate nutrition, and varying degrees of tissue damage, ultimately leading to a PI. Patients who have undergone surgery or have limited mobility are particularly vulnerable to developing PIs. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services made a ruling in 2008 that hospitals would not be reimbursed for any hospital-acquired PIs as they are costly and preventable. Unfortunately, there is a knowledge gap in PI prevention due to a shortage of nursing staff, and changes in education requirements for nursing assistants. To address this knowledge gap, a quality improvement project to educate registered nurses and nursing assistants working in a Midwest hospital medical-surgical nursing unit on the correct patient positioning to prevent pressure injuries was created. Watson's Human Caring theory provides the theoretical framework for the education. Pressure injury data collected post-education will measure the effectiveness of the quality improvement project on the reduction of PIs in the nursing unit. The goal of the education is to reduce the number of hospitalized patients from acquiring PI and occurring additional expenses.
Identifier
SX 11.MAN.2023.Trevis.M
Recommended Citation
Trevis, Maria D., "Patient positioning to prevent pressure injuries" (2023). Theses and Graduate Projects. 1586.
https://idun.augsburg.edu/etd/1586