Attitudes of Nursing Students About Pressure Injury Prevention

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to examine the attitudes of baccalaureate nursing students toward their role in pressure injury prevention (PIP) and describe how clinical experiences influence their attitudes. Understanding students' attitudes and experiences related to PIP may facilitate development of evidence-based interventions for PIP by nurses. DESIGN: Qualitative exploratory descriptive design. SETTING AND SUBJECTS: Participants were 16 senior nursing students enrolled in a prelicensure baccalaureate nursing program in an accredited school of nursing. Half of the participants had completed their first 2 years of the nursing major in the baccalaureate program. The remaining participants completed their first 2 years in a community college associate degree nursing program. METHOD: Semistructured, in-depth, open-ended interviews were conducted. Interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim; data were analyzed for key themes using content analysis. RESULTS: Four categories of attitudes about PIP were identified: (1) ambivalence, (2) emerging awareness, (3) committed, and (4) passionate. Diverse clinical experiences in pediatrics, the operating room, trauma units, and long-term care facilities enhanced nursing students' learning related to PIP. Experiences observing WOC nurses and other staff role models engaged in PIP were associated with student commitment and passion for PIP. CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this study can be used to guide interventions to enhance attitudes of commitment to PIP. WOC nurses, clinical preceptors, and clinical staff can involve nursing students in intentional PIP learning activities to improve clinical practice and patient outcomes. Intentionally incorporating key learning activities about PIP in the nursing curriculum is recommended.