Views of Nurses Working in Surgical Intensive Care Units on Pressure Injury Prevention and Care: A Phenomenological Study

Background: Intensive care units are settings where life-threatening illnesses are treated and cared for, and complex clinical processes are managed. In the surgical intensive care unit, immobility, hemodynamic changes, nutritional problems, and the use of invasive equipment during and after surgery increase the risk of pressure ulcers. Nurses' knowledge, clinical skills, and attitudes play a decisive role in preventing these injuries.
Aim: This study was conducted to determine the opinions of nurses working in a surgical intensive care unit regarding the prevention and care of pressure ulcers.
Methods: The research was conducted using the phenomenological approach, one of the qualitative research methods. The study included 30 nurses working in the surgical intensive care unit (ICU) of a training and research hospital. A focus group interview was conducted with the participants, who were divided into seven groups based on their interview dates. Data were collected using a "Personal Information Form" containing the sociodemographic characteristics of the nurses and a "Semi-Structured Focus Group Interview Form," then analyzed and coded with the MAXQDA program.
Results: It was determined that 20 of the participants were female, 14 were between the ages of 23 and 29, 20 were married, and 23 had a bachelor's degree. From the interviews with nurses working in the surgical intensive care unit, six code models were developed: "importance of pressure injury," "factors affecting care in pressure injury," "patients at risk of developing pressure injury," "suggestions to improve care in pressure injury," "methods to be followed in preventing pressure injury," and "feelings while providing care to patients with pressure injury."
Conclusion: In conclusion, increasing the number of nurses in surgical intensive care units, ensuring the availability of up-to-date wound care products, promoting the effective use of devices and materials designed to prevent pressure injuries, and strengthening in-service training programs on this issue emerge as fundamental requirements for the prevention of pressure injuries. It is recommended that future studies be conducted using a mixed-method design with larger groups.

Keywords: Nursing care, pressure injury, pressure ulcer, qualitative research, surgical intensive care