Knowledge And Practice on Prevention of Pressure Ulcer Among Nurses; A Tertiary level hospital in Bangladesh

Introduction: A pressure ulcer is a localized injury to the skin and /or underlying tissue, usually over a bony prominence, as a result of pressure or pressure in combination with shear and or friction. Materials and Methods: A hospital-based descriptive cross-sectional study assessed the knowledge and practice of pressure ulcer prevention among nurses in SOMCH. The study was conducted at M.A.G Osmani Medical College Hospital, Sylhet from December to January 2017 by interviewing 100 nurses in SOMCH using a semi-structured questionnaire. Result: The study found nurses were B.Sc. in Nursing (15%), Diploma in Nursing (82%), and Masters (3%). From this result, it was found that 27% of nurses defined pressure ulcers correctly and knew the simple signs & symptoms of pressure ulcers, 76% average, 13% good, 9% Poor & 2% had No idea knowledge. The result of the study shows that the practice on prevention of pressure ulcers in the ward was 55% Poor, 25% Average and 20% Good. The overall result of the study indicates that the knowledge of pressure ulcers among nurses was average, and the practice was poor. Conclusion: Educational health programs and training of nurses about applicable prevention and assessments of pressure ulcers and other dangerous complications should be promoted to ensure better transfer practice. After completing the study, finding out the level of knowledge and practice, recommend the authority arrange an educational program to improve nurses' knowledge about pressure ulcer.