Proposed Topic (Most preferred): :
Clinical Safety and Quality Service I (Projects aiming to improve efficiency and effectiveness of care delivery to meet international standards)
Authors (including presenting author) :
Chan CH, Ng KM, Hai MK
Affiliation :
Medicine & Geriatrics
Introduction :
Pressure injuries (PI) continue to be a significant healthcare challenge that causes morbidity and mortality among patients. However, much evidence suggests that PIs are largely preventable through the implementation of appropriate preventive measures. Among these measures, repositioning or turning, coupled with the use of pressure relief devices, have emerged as crucial interventions in pressure injury prevention. The quality of bedside care is also an essential element in maintaining and monitoring skin integrity for patients. To promote the importance of turning in PI prevention, a turning team was created to support staff in the TMH M&G department, reinforcing proper turning skills and the use of pressure relieving devices for patients.
Objectives :
To enhance alertness on PI prevention and improve basic care in PI prevention, and hence minimize newly developed PIs during hospitalization.
Methodology :
From August 2022 (Q3), a turning team was implemented in the M&G department. Three days on-site coaching were provided for supporting staff, which included reinforcing turning skills, skin observation skills, and techniques for using pressure relieving devices. Pre- and post-training assessments were conducted on Day 1 and Day 3 to compare the caring skills of supporting staff. The effectiveness of PI prevention by the turning team was assessed by comparing the number of newly developed PIs before and after the implementation of the turning team.
Result & Outcome :
89% of supporting staff had undergone training, and all of them had successfully passed the evaluation. By comparing the newly developed PIs from the same quarters (Q3 & Q4) in 2021 and 2022, the percentage of newly developed PIs dropped from 66.6% in 2021 to 32.3% in 2022 after the implementation of the turning team. Feedback from questionnaires after training showed a positive impact on supporting staff, such as learning the proper way of turning and recognizing the benefits for patients. Positive comments from ward staff were obtained, such as improvements in the quality of turning and patient care after training, and supporting staff acquiring job satisfaction.
