Nurses Perceived Barriers toward Pressure Ulcer Prevention in Critical Care Units in Jordan

Background: Pressure ulcer is a common problem in critical care units. Prevention programs and pressure ulcer assessment methods are deemed to be important aspects of daily nursing care. However, the ability of nurses to perform routine pressure ulcer assessment and provide preventative care for their patients could be affected by any barriers which may exist within their care settings. So far, however, any such barriers, as perceived by Jordanian nurses, have not been well established. Aim: To investigate barriers toward pressure ulcer prevention as perceived by Jordanian nurses who work in critical care units. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in two hospitals in the north of Jordan. 103 critical care nurses working at these sites completed a self-administered questionnaire, with a response rate of 55%. Results: Several barriers perceived to affect patients' quality of care regarding proper prevention of pressure ulcers were identified by Jordanian critical care units' nurses who. These included lack of staff (89.2%), lack of sufficient time (85.3%), and having an uncooperative or severely ill patient (70%). Nurses who had more experience and those who had undertaken previous training about pressure ulcer prevention perceived fewer barriers than their less experienced or less educated counterparts. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest several barriers need to be resolved if proper prevention of pressure ulcers is to be guaranteed in critical care units. The study could help nursing leaders to understand the barriers perceived by critical care nurses, and encourage them to clarify these barriers and work to eliminate them.