Evaluation of Nurses' Knowledge about Risk Monitoring and Risk Prevention for Pressure Ulcers

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the levels of nurse's knowledge on prevention of pressure ulcers and its associated factors. Methods: This is a cross-sectional, descriptive study. The research sample consisted of 250 nurses who worked at a training research hospital from 1 September to 1 December 2016. The research data were collected using the "Nurse Information Form" and "Pressure Ulcer Prevention Knowledge Survey" prepared in light of the literature. Results: The sample was mostly undergraduate (70.0%) and the mean age was 26.11 +/- 5.33 years. Nurses (98.8%) indicated that "advanced age" has a significant influence among risk factors that cause pressure ulcers. The item on the "Pressure Ulcer Prevention Knowledge Survey", that was answered incorrectly most often (92.8%) was "when conscious patients with learning ability sit on chairs, they should be informed that they should shift their weight every 15 minutes," in the sub-dimension of "Nursing Interventions for Preventing Pressure Ulcers". There was a statistically significant difference between the knowledge level scores of nurses with respect to nurses' age, education level, working unit and pressure ulcer education (p<0.05). Conclusion: Nurses' knowledge level scores for prevention of pressure ulcers were above the average value. It is important to organize continuous education programs to increase nurses' knowledge about the risk factors for pressure ulcers and their prevention.