Assessment of Knowledge and Practice on Prevention of Pressure Ulcer among Nurses in Palestine- Cross Sectional Study

Pressure Ulcers (PUs) are localized skin injuries caused by long-term compression of soft tissue between an external pressure source and a bony prominence. They are one of the iatrogenic causes of extra morbidity for hospitalized patients. This study aimed to assess knowledge and practices regarding preventing PUs among nurses in Palestine. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 430 nurses in various Palestinian hospitals and health centers between February 15, 2024, and April 14, 2024. Convenience sampling was used to collect samples for this study. The collected data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 27. Data analysis included descriptive and inferential statistics. The study showed that 65.61% of participants correctly answered questions about PU prevention. Regarding practice, 55.3% of nurses demonstrated a good level, with an average score of 2.37. Additionally, there was a significant association between demographic variables and levels of knowledge and practice in PU prevention, with P values ranging from 0.01 to 0.05. The study found that male nurses had higher knowledge and practice scores than female nurses, with significant differences in mean scores. The overall level of knowledge and practice among Palestinian nurses was found to be good; however, there is room for improvement in several aspects of both knowledge and practice. Variables such as gender, age, marital status, qualification, and job experience were found to have significant correlations with the level of knowledge and practice among nurses.