Risk assessment for perioperative pressure injuries.
Camila de Assunção Peixoto, Maria Beatriz Guimarães Ferreira, Márcia Marques Dos Santos Felix and 3 others
PMID 30698218WHAT IT FOUND
In 278 elective surgery patients, most scored high risk for pressure injury, and 77% had pressure injuries from surgical positioning.
Nurses can use a perioperative pressure injury risk score to flag high-risk patients.
Key findings
01Of 278 patients, 157 (56.5%) were classified as high risk for perioperative pressure injury by the ELPO scale.
0277% (214) of patients presented pressure injuries due to surgical position, most at stage 1, with one stage 2 injury and one deep tissue injury.
03Female sex, elderly age, and altered BMI were significantly associated with higher ELPO risk.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Recruitment was non-probabilistic, and the study was done in one teaching hospital, so the patients may not represent other surgical settings. 591 of 869 patients were excluded, so the final sample may not reflect all elective surgical patients. The study is observational and descriptive, so it cannot show that the ELPO score, positioning choices, or support surfaces caused or prevented pressure injuries. The authors reported that microclimate was not assessed and patients were not followed further in the postoperative period.
Declared interests
The study was supported by CNPq and CAPES in Brazil, and the article is based on a master's thesis. The supplied text does not report other conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the 77% pressure injury rate or the high-risk ELPO scores as proof that the ELPO scale prevents injuries. The study observed patients and did not compare a prevention strategy, so it cannot show that the scale or positioning changes reduce injuries.