Facial pressure injuries and the COVID-19 pandemic: skin protection care to enhance staff safety in an acute hospital setting.
J Wound Care
; 30(3): 162-170, 2021 Mar 02.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1138941
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES:
The aim of this study was to determine the impact of a specially designed care bundle on the development of facial pressure injuries (PI) among frontline healthcare workers wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The primary outcome of interest was the incidence of facial PIs. The secondary outcomes of interest were facial pain while wearing PPE and ease of use of the care bundle.METHODS:
This study used a voluntary survey by questionnaire, supplemented by a qualitative analysis of interviews from a small purposive sample that took place in one large Irish hospital over a two-month period in 2020. The hospital was a city-based public university teaching hospital with 800 inpatient beds. The intervention was a care bundle consisting of skin protection, face mask selection, material use, skin inspection, cleansing and hydration developed in line with international best practice guidelines. All staff working in COVID-19 wards, intensive care units and the emergency department in the hospital were given a kitbag containing the elements of the care bundle plus an information pamphlet. Data were collected via a survey and interviews.RESULTS:
A total of 114 staff provided feedback on the use of the care bundle. Before using the care bundle 29% (n=33) of the respondents reported developing a facial PI, whereas after using the care bundle only 8% (n=9) of the respondents reported developing a facial PI. The odds ratio (OR) of skin injury development was 4.75 (95% confidence interval (CI) 2.15-10.49; p=0.0001), suggesting that after the care bundle was issued, those who responded to the survey were almost five times less likely to develop a skin injury. Interviews with 14 staff determined that the bundle was easy to use and safe.CONCLUSION:
Among those who responded to the survey, the use of the bundle was associated with a reduction in the incidence of skin injury from 29% to 8%, and respondents found the bundle easy to use, safe and effective. As with evidence from the international literature, this study has identified that when skincare is prioritised, and a systematic preventative care bundle approach is adopted, there are clear benefits for the individuals involved.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Facial Injuries
/
Occupational Injuries
/
Personal Protective Equipment
/
COVID-19
/
Medical Staff, Hospital
/
Nursing Staff, Hospital
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Qualitative research
/
Systematic review/Meta Analysis
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
J Wound Care
Journal subject:
Nursing
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
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