Barriers and facilitators of adherence to evidence-based pressure injury prevention clinical practice guideline among intensive care nurses: A cross-sectional survey

Objective: To explore intensive care unit (ICU) nurses’ perceptions of their adherence to pressure injury prevention clinical practice guideline and identify the perceived barriers and facilitators that influence evidence-based pressure injury prevention practices in Chinese tertiary hospitals. 

Research methodology/design: This was a multi-site, quantitative, cross-sectional study. Data were collected using a self-report questionnaire with three sections: participant demographic information, adherence to pressure injury prevention clinical practice guideline, and barriers to and facilitators of pressure injury prevention clinical practice guideline implementation. 

Setting: Thirty-three adult ICUs in 16 tertiary general hospitals in 5 major cities in Liaoning Province, China. 

Results: In total, 473 nurses responded to the survey. The mean score for adherence to pressure injury prevention clinical practice guideline was 159.06 ± 20.65, with 65.3 % reporting good adherence. Multiple stepwise regression analysis indicated that smaller ICU size (β = −0.114, p = 0.012) and having participated in training on pressure injury prevention clinical practice guideline (β = 0.149, p = 0.001) were statistically significantly associated with better adherence. ICU nurses identified the low priority given to pressure injury prevention as the top barrier. The top three facilitators were awareness of evidence-based practice, the current documentation format for pressure injury risk/nursing interventions, and leadership support. 

Conclusion: ICU nurses’ adherence to pressure injury prevention clinical practice guideline was satisfactory, and they reported low-to-moderate barriers and moderate facilitators. 

Implications for clinical practice: Participating in training on pressure injury prevention clinical practice guideline was a predictor of ICU nurses’ adherence. Therefore, it is highly recommended that healthcare organisations consider providing training to nurses and address the barriers identified to improve nurses’ adherence to evidence-based pressure injury prevention guidelines.