Sacral adhesive multilayer dressings for the prevention of pressure injury in high-risk hospitalised adults

Abstract

Overview: Pressure injuries (PIs) in high-risk hospitalised adults pose a financial burden on healthcare systems through their association with increased morbidity and mortality. This dissertation evaluates the effectiveness of sacral silicone adhesive multilayer dressings in preventing the risk of PI development. The Research Question: This dissertation was based on the following Population-Intervention Comparison-Outcome (PICO) question; In hospitalised adults who are at risk of developing pressure injuries (P), do sacral silicone adhesive multilayer dressings (I) prevent the risk (O)? The effectiveness of the intervention was evaluated by comparing it to standard preventive care (C). Method: Key terms associated with the research question, such as ‘Pressure injury’, ‘soft silicone multi-layered foam dressings' and ‘sacrum’ were identified. Boolean operators, search tools, and limiters were used to research health-based research platforms (EBSCO, MEDLINE, and ProQuest), databases (Scopus and PubMed), and the internet search engine (Google Scholar). The eligibility criteria required articles to be written in English, be systematic reviews including meta-analysis or Randomised control trials (RCT); and articles measuring PI incidence depending on the intervention and the control. Six RCTs were retrieved, and a critical appraisal was performed using the ‘Critical Appraisal Skills Program’ (CASP) tool for RCTs. Results: All six studies reported a statistically significant reduction in PI development when utilising the dressing in addition to standard preventive care. Conclusion: Findings concluded that silicone adhesive multilayer dressings effectively reduce PI development. Further research is suggested to determine the effectiveness of the dressing in local humid environments. Implications and Recommendations: Adjustments to the standard preventive care guidelines should be made to reflect these findings. Additionally, findings could be disseminated through the involvement of tissue viability nurses (TVN) and audits, to promote PI prevention measures in hospitalised at-risk adults.