Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 28, 2025
An Educational Video Demonstration of How to Prone a Critically Ill Intubated Patient
Published on: November 30, 2022
Comparing Pressure Injury Incidence Based on Repositioning Intervals and Support Surfaces in Acute Care Settings: A
Jeong Sil Choi1, Seon Young Hyun, Sun Ju Chang
1Jeong Sil Choi, PhD, RN, is Professor, College of Nursing, Gachon University, Incheon, South Korea. Seon Young Hyun, RN, is Nurse, Gachon University Gil Medical Center. Sun Ju Chang, PhD, RN, is Associate Professor, College of Nursing, Research Institute of Nursing Science, Seoul National University. The authors have disclosed no financial relationships related to this article. Submitted July 22, 2020; accepted in revised form December 22, 2020.
Objective:
To compare pressure injury (PI) incidence based on repositioning intervals and support surfaces in acute care settings.
Methods:
This pragmatic, quasi-experimental trial recruited a total of 251 critically ill patients who were at low or moderate risk for PI development. Participants were assigned to three interventions: a 2-hour repositioning interval using an air mattress, a 2-hour repositioning interval using a foam mattress, or a 3-hour repositioning interval using a foam mattress. Data were collected by nurses every shift over the course of 14 days. Pressure injury incidence was analyzed using a χ2 test.
Results:
There were no statistically significant differences in PI incidence between the groups with a 2-hour repositioning interval. However, the PI incidence in the group using a foam mattress with a 3-hour repositioning interval was significantly lower than in the group using an air mattress with a 2-hour repositioning interval (odds ratio, 0.481; 95% confidence interval, 0.410-0.565).
Conclusions:
The findings showed that PIs decreased when the repositioning interval was extended from every 2 hours to every 3 hours while using foam mattresses. This study suggests that a 3-hour repositioning interval using a foam mattress could be applied to reduce the risk of PI development for patients at low or moderate risk.
