Medical device-related pressure injuries: An exploratory descriptive study in an acute tertiary hospital in Australia

To examine and explore medical device-related pressure injuries in an 800-bed tertiary hospital.

An exploratory descriptive study design was employed. A prospective review of all data on reported hospital-acquired pressure injuries was conducted on a weekly basis from July 2015 to August 2016. This included a patient assessment and medical record review as well as brief semi-structured interviews with nurses.

The overall incidence of medical device-related pressure injuries was 27.9% (50/179) with the majority (68%, 34/50) occurring in intensive care. The most common cause of a medical device-related pressure injury was oxygen tubing behind ears (n = 21) and endotracheal tubes (n = 13). Nurses were unaware of the implications of medical devices in contact with the skin and patient medical records did not present a valuable source of information in relation to pressure injury prevention.

Medical device-related pressure injuries were represented in 27.9% of our entire patient cohort; primarily occurring on the ear from oxygen tubing and on the mouth from endotracheal tubes in patients in intensive care. Additional support, education and monitoring for nurses at a local level on the prevention of medical device-related pressure injuries is necessary to prevent their occurrence. Furthermore, consensus on the classification and reporting of medical device-related pressure injuries is still in development, making reporting and monitoring challenging. Medical device-related pressure injuries are a continuing clinical issue that require further exploration.