Abstract
Pressure injuries (PIs) represent a significant cause of harm, especially to people with spinal cord injury (SCI). Over time, individuals with SCI are increasingly required to self-manage their care, but their commitment or involvement is a serious clinical challenge to engagement with required cares. Additionally, healthcare professionals (HPs) who work with people with SCI need to be cognisant of the latter s mental health and well-being. Therefore, increasing understanding of the factors affecting patients dexterity and readiness to adhere to health professional guidance on PI interventions is important. The aim of this dissertation was to explore the experiences and perspectives of individuals with SCI who acquired PIs, and the HPs perspectives who are involved in their care.
An integrative literature review was undertaken utilising the five-stage process developed by Whittemore and Knafl (2005). A literature search was conducted using the following databases Ovid (Medline, Embase, Nursing), Emcare, APA PsychInfo, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PubMed and Google Scholar. The keywords for the search included spinal injuries, pressure injuries, healthcare professionals, experience and perspectives. Fifteen relevant publications were included for quality appraisal using Johanna Briggs Institute (Joanna Briggs Institute [JBI], 2014) appraisal tools, and thirteen articles remained for data analysis. The data was analysed following Braun and Clark s (2006) thematic analysis framework. Three themes emerged from the analysis i) Pressure injury selfmanagement and supporting of self-management by healthcare professionals, ii) Environmental factors impacting adherence to PI prevention and treatment and, iii) Quality of healthcare services received by individuals with SCI and PIs.
The findings highlighted areas in which the individuals with SCI and their HPs reported attitudinal factors that impact self-management support. Environmental factors as a barrier to adherence to PI prevention and treatment were identified. The challenges and satisfaction with the quality of healthcare services received by individuals with SCI were also noted. Through dealing and promoting appropriate levels of interventions, improvement can be achieved in the provision of care for patients who develop a PI following SCI.