KNOWLEDGE ON PREDICTION, PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF PRESSURE ULCERS AMONG CARE STAFF IN SINGAPORE NURSING HOMES

Abstract

Aim: This research seeks to determine the level of knowledge among nursing home staff in Singapore related to the prediction, prevention and management of pressure injuries and its implications on nursing practice. Background: Pressure injury prevention and management is an essential aspect of nursing practice. Knowledge on pressure injuries among nursing home staff were known to be inadequate, while customised training interventions were found to be effective in improving knowledge levels and clinical outcomes. As there is a lack of current research on pressure injuries locally, there is a need to examine the pressure injury knowledge of Singapore nursing home staff so as to improve practice and training. Design: A cross-sectional quantitative research design was implemented. Methods: 149 care staff were recruited via convenience sampling from November 2018 to January 2019. A modified and validated questionnaire developed by the Pressure Injury Prevention in Intermediate and Long-Term Care Facilities (PI ILTC) Committee was used for data collection. Data analysis methods used include descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, Pearson Chi-square tests and multiple linear regression. Results: Mean overall knowledge score is 15.56±4.61 (50.2%), while prevention/management knowledge scores (mean=9.01(64.4%), SD=1.86) were found to be higher than prediction knowledge scores (mean=6.55(38.5%), SD=3.59). Designation has a significant influence on overall knowledge, while experience was positively correlated with prevention/management knowledge. Knowledge inadequacies were observed in questions related to ineffective pressure injury prevention measures, and pressure injury staging of Stage 4 wounds. Nursing aides/Healthcare assistants (NA/HCAs), staff with below vocational education and Indian and Burmese staff reported significantly lower knowledge scores compared to other groups. Conclusion: Pressure injury knowledge of nursing home staff is inadequate and customised training interventions is essential to address areas of knowledge deficits and resolve differences in knowledge among different groups of staff.