Knowledge and practice of Informal Caregivers on Pressure Injury Prevention and Treatment among Patients Need Palliative Care: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Pressure injuries represent an important problem in palliative care. Lack of knowledge and skills among informal caregivers on pressure ulcer prevention and management contributes significantly to the happening or deterioration of pressure injuries. Aim: The aims of this study were to: (1) determine the level of knowledge and practices of informal caregivers on pressure ulcer prevention and treatment. (2) explore the socio-demographic characteristics of informal caregivers that influence pressure ulcer prevention and treatment among patients who need palliative care. Methods: the quantitative cross-sectional descriptive design was used to collect data conveniently from 146 informal caregivers, and a valid and reliable questionnaire was used. Results: One hundred and forty-six informal caregivers completed the study. Most participants had a relativelylow level of pressure ulcer prevention, treatment knowledge, and practice. Participants older than 28 years, government workers, and married had significantlybetter knowledge and practice of PU prevention and treatment than other participants. Conclusion information for informal caregivers in different settings about pressure ulcer prevention and treatment is needed by focusing on young married ones. Informal caregivers need to acquire more professional practices and knowledge to improve the quality of patient care.

A systematic review of caregivers' knowledge and related factors towards pressure ulcer prevention

“…As mentioned in Table 1, 927 caregivers participated in eight studies 14,18,22‐27 . The average age of the participants was 40.50 (SD = 12.67).…”

“…As shown in Table 1, factors such as level of education, 22,23,25 age, 18,23 occupation, 23 informed about PUs, 14 attitude, 27 and practice 27 have a significant positive relationship with caregivers' knowledge related to the prevention of PUs. Knowledge had a significant negative relationship with age 22,24 .…”

“…Age is one factor that influences caregivers' knowledge about PU prevention. According to a Jordanian study, age and expanding knowledge are directly related 18 . The age of caregivers and their knowledge of PU prevention, however, are significantly inversely correlated according to a study conducted in Iran 22 .…”

“…The caregivers' marital status was another factor that affected their level of knowledge of caregivers on PU prevention. Studies conducted in Egypt and Jordan showed that married caregivers are more knowledgeable about PU avoidance than unmarried individuals 18,23 . This factor may result from the fact that the majority of single individuals are younger and engaged in higher education; this issue may account for why single people have less knowledge than married people.…”

“…Therefore, this knowledge is an essential requirement for caregivers 16 . A study in India found that half of the caregivers had poor knowledge of PU prevention 17 ; another study reported in Jordan showed that most caregivers had a relatively low level of knowledge about PU prevention 18 …”