ABSTRACT:
Background: A number of studies have been conducted on pressure ulcer (PU) risk assessment and prevention, and several sets of prevention guidelines have been produced. However, in Jordan, where no such research has previously been carried out, there appears to be a gap between nurses' knowledge and practice in this area, which needs to be addressed.
Aim: The purpose of this study was to explore Jordanian nurses' knowledge of PU risk factors and preventive modalities. In addition, their current reported preventive practice was investigated.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in three hospitals in Jordan. The registered and associate nurses working at these sites were requested to complete a self-administered questionnaire.
Results: The nurses' knowledge of PU risk factors was good. Although there was a high level of agreement regarding the preventive methods judged as "always useful", there was a lesser degree of agreement regarding those which should be used only in individual cases and those which should not be used. A significant number of nurses were unaware that some outdated methods such as "massage" were no longer used. Nurses applied such methods without enough prior knowledge about their usefulness.
Conclusions: Findings from this study suggest that the knowledge and practice of PU prevention among Jordanian nurses needs to be improved, particularly since some methods that are acknowledged to be harmful were still found to be in use. It is recommended that national PU prevention guidelines are adopted in Jordan, especially since nurses seem to rely on past practices that are not evidence based.