Abstract
Pressure injuries within neonatal intensive care babies are a great concern due to the fragile health of this vulnerable group, and require evidence-based prevention and management strategies implemented by healthcare staff to identify risk and reduce incidence rates. Within the current literature, a limited amount of research has been conducted surrounding the topic of pressure injuries in neonates, with no published literature reviews available on the prevention and management strategies available.
The aim of this integrative review was to investigate effective prevention and management strategies for pressure injuries in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) following the methodological framework of Whittemore and Knafl., (2005). Four databases were used in the literature search: Embase Ovid, Google Scholar, Medline Ovid and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL). The literature identified from the results of the search were matched against the eligibility criteria and 16 underwent critical appraisal using JBI-validated tools, with 13 included in the final review. Four main themes emerged from the data analysis process: inter-professional collaboration, standardized care, staff education and early risk assessment.
Findings of the review displayed the need for inter-professional collaboration and working as a cohesive unit to enhance the quality of pressure injury prevention in neonates along with standardized care through the implementation of skin risk assessment, documentation and clinical prevention techniques. Educated staff who are familiar and confident with caring for neonatal skin and early, frequent and accurate skin risk assessments using NICU-specific tools are paramount to preventing and managing pressure injuries among this vulnerable population.