Knowledge and attitudes toward pressure ulcer prevention among undergraduate nursing students at a state university in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Pressure ulcers are a common healthcare concern among long-term bedridden patients. Nurses are the most responsible persons in the prevention of pressure ulcers. Student nurses also can be involved in pressure ulcer prevention during their clinical placements and they should have adequate knowledge and positive attitudes towards pressure ulcer prevention. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitudes towards pressure ulcers, the association between demographic variables, and the knowledge and attitudes among undergraduate nursing students at a state university in Sri Lanka. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted among 185 undergraduate nursing students at a state university in Sri Lanka. Data were collected using pretested, two validated questionnaires: Pressure Ulcer Knowledge Assessment Instrument and Attitude toward Pressure Ulcer Prevention. Collected data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 26. One-way ANOVA and Turkey post hoc test were used to assess the differences between groups. Pearson correlation test was used to determine correlations between knowledge and attitude scores. The total mean knowledge score was 11.023.05 out of 26 and the total mean attitude score was 39.424.58 out of 52. No significant difference was found between the frequency of exposure to patients with pressure ulcers and the total knowledge score (p>0.05). However, significant differences were observed between the knowledge score and age, gender, academic year and semester, number of clinical hours, number of clinical units, and the types of clinical units (p < 0.05). A significant difference in attitude score was found only with the types of clinical unit (p < 0.05). There was no correlation between knowledge and attitude scores (r = 0.14, p = 0.07). Increased age, academic year and semester, clinical hours, and clinical unit exposure improved knowledge scores among nursing students. In contrast, attitude scores significantly varied based on the type of clinical unit, indicating the influence of the clinical environment on nursing students' attitudes. Student nurses should be encouraged to review the theoretical knowledge in the clinical setup.