Evaluation of an Evidence-Based Care Bundle for Preventing Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries in High-Risk Surgical Patients

AORN J. 2023 Nov;118(5):306-320. doi: 10.1002/aorn.14021.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an evidence-based care bundle to prevent perioperative pressure injuries. In a single facility, using a preintervention and postintervention quasi-experimental design, we compared the pressure injury incidence rate for two patient groups (ie, before and after care bundle implementation). The bundle included a variety of elements, such as educating patients, applying protection, controlling skin moisture, and using pressure-relieving devices according to the patient's risk. Before the intervention, patients received standard care before procedures that did not address risk for pressure injury development. The study involved a total of 944 patients, and the incidence of pressure injury was lower in the postintervention group than in the preintervention group (1.6% versus 4.8%; P < .001). However, the odds ratio was nonsignificant and therefore the clinical relevance of the bundle is unclear. Additional research with a control group and multiple sites is needed.

Keywords: alternating air mattress; care bundle; hospital-acquired pressure injury (HAPI); risk assessment; silicone foam dressing.

MeSH terms

  • Evidence-Based Medicine
  • Hospitals
  • Humans
  • Patient Care Bundles*
  • Patients
  • Pressure Ulcer* / epidemiology