Reducing Pressure Injury Incidence Using a Turn Team Assignment: Analysis of a Quality Improvement Project

The purpose of this study was to analyze outcomes of a quality improvement project that evaluated a turning intervention for prevention of facility-acquired pressure injuries.

A descriptive correlational study design examined the effectiveness of using a "turn team assignment" on pressure injury incidence and staff perceptions.

The study sample comprised RNs and patient care associates assigned to provide care for patients admitted on the first or any subsequent day of hospitalization to a surgical intensive care unit at a Midwest inner-city teaching hospital.

Direct observation by expert clinicians occurred in 2-hour increments over a 14-day period using an 11-item, unit-designed process improvement tool. We collected information regarding cueing, concurrent turning, independent turning in lieu of the cue, staff support, and possible barriers to turning and repositioning. Staff perceptions were collected using an online tool via survey. The survey utilized a 14-item questionnaire, and a 5-point Likert Scale to identify staff perceptions and beliefs about the turn team intervention. Pressure injury occurrences were measured using data from our monthly prevalence study.

Pressure injury occurrences declined from 24.9% to 16.8% over the data collection period. There was a strong positive correlation between verbal cueing and turning (r = 0.815; P < .05). Staff perceptions supported preintervention education (64.3%) and cueing (93%; 78%) as effective interventions in completing patient turning.

Findings suggest that turn team assignments using verbal cueing are an effective intervention that decreases pressure injury occurrence. This intervention required no increase in staffing personnel, making this type of intervention reasonable and effective in improving frequency of repositioning and decreasing pressure injury prevalence rates.