The Effectiveness of Pressure Injury Prevention Education for Patient Care Technicians in an Adult Acute Care Setting: A Quality Improvement Project.

Purpose: The purpose of this quality improvement project was to determine whether hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) could be prevented by implementing an educational tool kit for patient care technicians (PCTs).

Participants and setting: Data were collected from 24 PCTs and 43 patients in a 26-bed inpatient adult acute care unit at an academic medical center in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States.

Approach: Outcome data were collected over an 8-week period from September to November 2021. Hospital-acquired pressure injury prevalence was collected using the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) survey process. Full- and part-time PCTs' knowledge and attitudes were assessed through modified Pressure Injury Prevention Knowledge and Attitudes towards Pressure Ulcer Prevention Instruments. The PCTs' compliance with prevention strategies was assessed among patients using the modified NDNQI audit scores. Descriptive statistics, Fisher's Exact test, and Mann-Whitney U test were used for analysis.

Outcomes: Among the 24 PCTs, 66.7% (n = 16) had received prior education on HAPI prevention strategies. Hospital-acquired or unit-acquired pressure injury prevalence rates did not change significantly following the educational intervention. Mean Pressure Injury Prevention Knowledge scores increased from pre- to post-intervention (92.86; SD 9.63 vs 94.05; SD 12.86). Average Attitude towards Pressure Ulcer Prevention scores decreased from pre- to post-intervention (27.79; SD 4.88 vs 21.0; SD 7.51), indicating poorer attitudes toward pressure injury prevention. The mean NDNQI audit scores significantly improved from pre-implementation (M 1.40; SD 0.82, n = 20) to measurement following the intervention (M 2.35; SD 0.99, n = 23; P= .014).

Implications for practice: An educational curriculum tailored for PCTs increased HAPI prevention strategies. The project site incorporated the HAPI prevention educational tool kit from this quality improvement project into their annual hospital-wide training for all PCTs to learn and implement HAPI prevention strategies in their work setting.