Pressure care in the paediatric intensive care unit

Area of Science:

• Pediatric critical care nursing
• Patient safety
• Skin integrity management

Background:

• Nursing staff in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) encounter complex challenges when admitting critically ill children.
• Assessment of skin integrity is often deprioritized during initial admission.
• A lack of universal tools for pressure ulcer risk assessment exists.

Observation:

• Nursing staff in PICUs encounter multifaceted care issues upon child admission.
• Skin integrity assessment is often a secondary concern during the critical admission phase.
• A review of current literature identified no universal risk assessment tool for pressure ulcers in pediatric patients.

Findings:

• A straightforward audit implemented in a PICU led to practice changes.
• These changes resulted in a measurable reduction in pressure ulcer incidence over a two-year period.
• The study demonstrates the effectiveness of targeted audits in improving patient outcomes.

Implications:

• Implementing simple audits can enhance nursing practices in PICUs.
• Standardized risk assessment tools for pressure ulcers are needed in pediatric critical care.
• Improved skin integrity assessment protocols can reduce adverse events and improve patient care quality.