Nurses' knowledge and attitudes towards pressure ulcer prevention

Objective: Identify, analyse and summarise the empirical evidence on nurses' knowledge and attitudes towards pressure ulcer (PU) prevention. Method: A systematic literature review on articles published between 2008 y 2019 was performed following PRISMA guidelines. Databases were checked for the following terms in Spanish, English and Portuguese: attitude, knowledge, pressure ulcer, and nursing staff. Results: A total of 33 articles with a quantitative descriptive approach were included in this review. The authors found a lack of knowledge on PU prevention among nursing staff. The nurses' attitudes were considered positive. Few studies examined the correlation between knowledge, attitude and clinical practice. Conclusion: There is a need for continued professional education in terms of PU prevention among nurses. Research on alternative ways to organise nursing staff's work is needed. Studying up-to-date guidelines on PU prevention on a regular basis and attending training in this subject might be beneficial to improve nurses' knowledge and attitudes towards PU prevention.