Preventing Pressure Injuries in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Through Nursing Education BACKGROUND Although healthcare organizations acknowledge that pressure injuries harm patients physically and financially, nurses report that their skin assessment and pressure injury prevention education is inadequate to maintain their confidence to effectively manage and prevent pressure injuries 1. This project aims to increase confidence in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Nurses to recognize and prevent pressure injuries. • Skin assessment & pressure injury education are effective in preventing pressure injuries2 • Use of a standardized risk skin assessment tool is essential for assessing risk and preventing pressure injuries in the NICU population3 • Pressure injury reduction equipment must be utilized for medically complex NICU patients4 METHODS • Framework: Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice • Participants: NICU Nurses • Implementation Team: Interdisciplinary NICU caregivers • Tools: • Pre-survey • Infographic • Educational PowerPoint • Post-survey Allison Struiksma, BSN, RN, MSN Student Faculty: JoAnn Tolman, MSN-L, MSN-Ed, RN, CNE Content Expert: Kim Friddle PhD, APRN, NNP-BC, CNS INTERVENTIONS • Gather key stakeholders from the interdisciplinary NICU team. • Review evidence-based literature on skin assessment and pressure injury prevention in the NICU. • Send pre-survey to NICU nurses about current education on skin assessment and pressure injury prevention. • Present education on skin assessment and pressure injury prevention in the infographic and PowerPoint. • Send post-survey to NICU nurses two months after the provided education to gather data on whether the education improved nurses’ confidence in assessing and preventing pressure injuries. IMPACTS • Educating NICU nurses on skin assessment and pressure injury prevention is essential to nursing engagement and improved patient safety.3 • Nurses who apply specialized skin assessment education to their practice can prevent patients from developing pressure injuries that may result in additional healthcare costs, an increased length of stay, and physical pain or long-term skin damage.5 • Educating nurses about skin assessment and pressure injury prevention will increase nurses’ confidence in preventing pressure injuries, protecting NICU patients from harm, and elevating NICU nursing practice.2 CONCLUSIONS REFERENCES 1 Kurtgöz, A. & Koç, Z. (2024). Difficulties and obstacles experienced by intensive care unit nurses during the prevention and care of pressure injuries: A qualitative study. Journal of Tissue Viability, 33(2),269-274. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtv.2024.04.004. 2 Fassino, B., Ferrario, S., Sorrentino, G., Adamini, I., Pesenti, N., Fumagalli, M., Mosca, F., & Plevani, L. (2023). Hospital-acquired skin lesions in the neonatal intensive care unit: A retrospective analysis of temporal trends and quality improvement strategies. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 70, 40-46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2023.01.009 3 Broom, M. Burton, W., Ehrlich, L., Dunk, A., & Abdel-Latif, M. (2017). Developing an Australian skin risk assessment and management tool for neonates. Wound Practice & Research, 25(1), 1522. 4 Vahabzadeh-Hagh, A.M., Lindenmuth, L., Feng, Z., Custodio, J.G., & Patel, S.H. (2024). A tracheostomy support device to reduce tracheostomy-related pressure injury. Respiratory Care, 69(7). https://doi.org/2200/10.4187/respcare.11160 5 Hu, L., Sae-Sia, W., & Kitrungrote, L. (2021). Intensive care nurses’ knowledge, attitude, and practice of pressure injury prevention in China: a cross-sectional study. Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, 14, 4257-4267. https://doi.org/10.2147/RMHP.S323839 • Conclusion: Implementing evidence-based education on skin assessment and pressure injury prevention has decreased pressure injuries in NICU patients and increased nurses’ confidence in their ability to prevent pressure injuries.2 • Recommendation: NICU nurses receive evidence-based education on skin assessment and pressure injury prevention to decrease physical, emotional, and financial harm to patients, nurses, and healthcare organizations.