Influencing factors of medical device-related pressure ulcers in medical personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Hong-Hong Su, Fang-Fang Zhu, Hui-Ling Zeng and 2 others
PMID 36803882WHAT IT FOUND
Sweating increased the risk of device-related skin injury by 23 times, while working in a COVID-19 department raised it by 9 times.
Wearing protective equipment for longer periods also significantly increased the likelihood of injury.
Key findings
01Sweating was the strongest identified risk factor, associated with a 23.15 times higher risk of medical device-related pressure ulcers compared to non-sweating staff.
02Working in a COVID-19 specific department was associated with a 9.03 times higher risk of developing these pressure ulcers.
03Longer wearing time of personal protective equipment and longer single working shifts were both associated with increased risk, with odds ratios of 1.73 and 1.60 respectively.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Most included studies were cross-sectional, which limits the ability to determine causality. The majority of data came from China, which may limit generalizability to other healthcare systems. Many factors were analyzed based on only two included studies, reducing the robustness of those specific findings. Significant heterogeneity was present in several outcomes, particularly for sweating and wearing time. Publication bias was identified for PPE wearing time.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by the Fujian Science and Technology Planning Project and the Special Plan for Military Biosafety Research in China.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the finding that 'taking preventive measures' increased risk as evidence that prevention causes harm. The authors note that this counter-intuitive result may be due to confounding factors, such as staff with higher risk profiles being more likely to use preventive dressings, or that certain dressings lose effectiveness in high-sweat environments.