Development and Validation of a Nursing Care Protocol for Laser Therapy in Pressure Injuries: Methodological Study

Area of Science:

• Nursing Science
• Regenerative Medicine
• Clinical Protocol Development

Background:

• Pressure injuries are a prevalent healthcare issue, particularly in vulnerable populations, leading to substantial economic burdens.
• Existing clinical guidelines for adjunctive therapies like low-level laser therapy (LLLT) for pressure injuries are limited.
• Standardized protocols are needed to ensure safe and effective application of LLLT in nursing care for pressure injuries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a nursing care protocol for the application of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) in stage 1 pressure injuries.
• To ensure the protocol's content validity and internal consistency through expert consensus.

Main Methods:

• An integrative literature review was conducted to identify effective LLLT parameters.
• A nursing care protocol was developed based on the literature review findings.
• The Delphi technique involving specialist nurses was employed for content validation, assessing validity using the Content Validity Index (CVI) and Cronbach's alpha.

Main Results:

• The integrative review identified evidence supporting LLLT efficacy for pressure injuries.
• The Delphi technique achieved a Global Content Validity Index (CVI) of 0.915 and Cronbach's alpha of 0.91, indicating high content validity and internal consistency.
• All protocol items reached consensus among the specialist nurses.

Conclusions:

• The developed nursing care protocol for LLLT in stage 1 pressure injuries demonstrates satisfactory content validity and internal consistency.
• The validated protocol has the potential to standardize nursing practice and enhance patient safety.
• Further clinical studies are recommended to evaluate the protocol's feasibility, implementation, and effectiveness in routine care.