Abstract

Background: Pressure ulcers are ulcers that occur over bony prominences of the skin as a result of too much pressure. They are the common conditions among bedridden patients hospitalized in acute and chronic care facilities and impose significant burden on patients, their relatives and caregivers. The pain and discomfort due to pressure ulcers prolongs illness, rehabilitation, time of discharge and even contribute to disability and death.

Aim: The aim of this study is to assess nurses’ attitudes and roles towards the prevention and management of pressure ulcers in bedridden patients at the Buea and Limbe Regional Hospitals.

Method: Hospital based cross sectional design study was used. A purposive sampling technique was used to select the hospitals and recruit 76 nurses from the Buea and Limbe Regional Hospital. A well-structured questionnaire was used for data collection and data was analysed using SPSS V. 23.0 for windows with a p value< 0.05. This study period was from January to June 2022.

Results: 30(39.5%) of the participants agreed that all patients are at risk of developing Pressure Ulcers (Pus), the majority 45(59.2%) disagreed to the fact that prevention of PUs was time consuming. Also, 50(65.8%) of the respondent disagreed that treatment should be a greater priority over prevention with 96.1% agreeing that pressure ulcers can be prevented. 59(77.6%) of the participants disagreed that they were less interested in pressure ulcer prevention as compared to other aspects of care.

Conclusion: Nurses have a positive attitude towards pressure ulcer prevention. Nurses’ practice of pressure ulcer prevention was high. Major barriers to carrying out pressure ulcer prevention were identified; staff shortage, lack of time, inadequate facilities and equipment.