The effect of uncoated paper application on skin moisture, risk of pressure injury and incidence of pressure injury in neurologic intensive care unit patients: A randomized controlled trial.

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of uncoated paper on skin moisture, pressure injury risk and pressure injury incidence in neurological intensive care unit patients. A randomized controlled design was used. The experimental group (n=68) received usual care (repositioning every 2h and use of an air mattress) and application of uncoated paper on the sacral area for 5days, whereas the control group (n=67) received only usual care. A repeated measures analysis of variance was used to determine changes in the skin moisture and risk of pressure injury between the groups. A chi-squared test was used to determine the change in the incidence of pressure injuries for sacral area. Data were collected from 20 October 2017 to 6 March 2018. There were statistically significant differences in the skin moisture and risk of pressure injuries between the experimental and control groups. However, a significant difference was not observed in the incidence of pressure injuries between the groups. The use of uncoated paper may be a valid nursing intervention for the prevention of pressure injuries in neurological intensive care unit patients.