Assessing Knowledge Among Endoscopy Nurses With Implementation of a Skin Tear Prevention Intervention

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Medicine
• Nursing Practice
• Quality Improvement

Background:

• Elderly endoscopy patients (≥65 years) have high risk factors for skin tears.
• Existing protocols for skin tear prevention in endoscopy are limited.
• A need exists to improve nursing knowledge and practices for skin tear prevention in this demographic.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and implement an evidence-based skin tear prevention protocol for the endoscopy setting.
• To evaluate the usability and effectiveness of the new protocol.
• To assess the impact on endoscopy nurses' knowledge regarding skin tear prevention.

Main Methods:

• A multidisciplinary team identified evidence-based skin tear prevention measures.
• A pre/post-timed series survey design was employed.
• A feasibility study measured nursing knowledge and satisfaction with the protocol over three months.

Main Results:

• 537 at-risk elderly patients were identified over three months.
• 911 skin tear prevention interventions were implemented by nurses.
• An 88% increase in nursing knowledge and a 66% reduction in skin tears were observed.

Conclusions:

• The developed protocol is effective in reducing skin tears among elderly endoscopy patients.
• The intervention significantly enhanced nurses' knowledge and satisfaction with skin tear prevention.
• This study supports the optimistic outlook for skin tear prevention in endoscopy settings.