Educational Needs of Intensive Care Unit Nurses Regarding Medical Device-Related Pressure Injuries: A Cross-Sectional...

Medical device-related pressure injuries (MDRPIs) are common in intensive care units (ICUs) and can cause patient harm when prevention, detection or management is inadequate. Device-specific education for ICU nurses is essential to support evidence-based MDRPI prevention and management.

To identify ICU nurses' perceived educational needs related to MDRPIs by years of clinical experience and to examine domain- and content-specific needs by medical device type.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among nurses working in eight adult ICUs at a 1200-bed tertiary hospital in South Korea. The questionnaire assessed demographics, prior MDRPI education and perceived learning needs across eight domains. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and the Kruskal-Wallis test with Bonferroni-adjusted post hoc comparisons. Open-ended responses were analysed using supplementary qualitative content analysis to complement the quantitative results and to categorise educational needs by device type and care domain.

Of the 94 participants, 77 (81.9%) were female, with a mean age of 30.2 years. Although 64 (68.1%) had received general pressure-injury education, only 38 (59.4%) reported MDRPI-specific training. Nurses with ≥ 10 years of experience reported higher educational needs in assessment and documentation (median 5.0, range 3.0-5.0) compared with those with < 5 years (median 4.0, range 3.0-5.0) and 5-10 years of experience (median 4.0, range 3.0-5.0; H = 7.99, p = 0.018). Device-specific gaps were most frequent for nasogastric tubes, respiratory devices and endotracheal tubes. Overall, 76 domain-specific educational needs were identified.

ICU nurses reported unmet educational needs, particularly in device-specific assessment, prevention and management. Higher learning needs among experienced nurses suggest that current education does not fully address MDRPI prevention in critical care.

Integrating device-focused, scenario-based MDRPI education into professional development may enhance clinical judgment, reduce preventable injuries and improve patient safety in ICU environments.