Impact of In-Service Education on Nurses’ Attitude Regarding Pressure Ulcer Risk-Assessment and Hospital-Acquired Pressure Ulcers Prevention: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Background and Aim: Despite increasing advancement in healthcare, incidence of Hospital-Acquired Pressure Ulcer among at risk hospitalized patients remains high with increasing morbidity and mortality. Improved nurses’ attitude to pressure ulcers risk assessment and hospital-acquired pressure ulcers prevention strategies among at risk hospitalized patients cannot be overemphasized. This study investigates impacts of in-service education on nurses’ attitude regarding pressure ulcer risk assessment and hospital-acquired pressure ulcers prevention at University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.

Methods and Materials: A quantitative one group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design using a pretested self-administered questionnaire. Sample size was 207 clinical nurses recruited through convenient sampling technique. Data were analyzed using descriptive and Chi-square statistics. Level of significance was set at p ≤ 0.05.    

Results: Mean age of participants was 45±8.01. Findings revealed that proportion of participants with positive attitude regarding pressure ulcer risk assessment increased from 30.9% at pretest to 59.9% at posttest. Similarly, proportion of participants with positive attitude towards hospital-acquired pressure ulcers prevention increased from 28.5% at pretest to 57.5% at posttest. There was no significant association between participants’ knowledge and attitude regarding hospital-acquired pressure ulcers prevention before (χ² = 2.950, p = 0.229) and after intervention (χ² = 1.342, p = 0.624). 

Conclusion: In-service education was impactful in improving attitude of nurses regarding pressure ulcer risk assessment and hospital-acquired pressure ulcers prevention. Formulation of policies to influence nursing practice through integration of routine pressure ulcer risk assessment in hospitalized patients is crucial for promoting patient’s skin integrity. Thereby preventing avoidable harm to “at risk” hospitalized patients.