Pressure Ulcers and Geriatric Patients:
The prevalence of pressure ulcers ranges from 3 to 11 percent in hospitalized elderly patients and from 11 to 35 percent in nursing home patients (Prevention of pressure ulcersà , 1996). For nurses and other caregivers who work with elderly patients, identifying risk for developing pressure ulcers, treating ulcers, and reducing their negative effects is a significant element of comprehensive and holistic care (Bergquist, 2002). By exercising analytic and assessment skills and by taking simple steps to reposition bedridden elderly patients, nurses can provide the kind of care that significantly enhances skin integrity even among patients who are bedridden for lengthy periods of time.
The present study was designed to provide an answer to a key research question: what level of knowledge do nurses possess with respect to preventing and/or treating pressure ulcers among hospitalized geriatric patients? Related issues include determining what nursing knowledge or skill deficits exist in order to improve pressure ulcer care. Finally, the research was designed to examine staff attitudes regarding pressure ulcers at a single New York hospital, New York Hospital of Queens.
The New York Hospital of Queens is a 439-bed voluntary, not-for-profit acute care teaching hospital and trauma center. It employs over 2,300 staff members and has 750 affiliated physicians. Quality health care is provided at the main building located at Main Street and Booth Memorial Avenue as well as numerous other locations, including a Renal Dialysis Center, a Cardiac Rehabilitation Center, and various Ambulatory Care Clinics.
Geriatric patients comprise a significant number of the individuals served by this institution and, as Bergquist (2002) has commented, geriatric patients are widely known to be at high risk for developing pressure ulcers. Thus, the issue is of significance to educators as well as n...