The prevalence, characteristics, and related factors of pressure injury in medical staff wearing personal protective equipment against COVID-19 in Turkey: A multicenter cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of device-related pressure injury (DRPI) related to the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) among healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated risk factors effective in the development of DRPI. Materials and methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional and correlational study was conducted with 1465 healthcare professionals working in healthcare institutions in Eastern Turkey during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study data were collected by means of an online anonymous survey questioning the prevalence, characteristics, and associated factors of DRPI in the first week of April 2021, using the snowball sampling method. Number, percentage, arithmetic mean, Chi-Square, and regression analysis were used for the evaluation of the study data. Results: The prevalence of DRPI due to the use of PPE use among healthcare professionals was calculated to be 60.5%. Of the developed DRPIs, 79.5% were stage 1, and the most frequent anatomical locations of DRPI were the bridge of the nose (30.2%), behind the ears (24.6%), and cheeks (20.8%). The logistic regression analysis revealed that male gender, age <35 years, being a physician and nurse, prolonged duration of PPE use (>4 h), working in a high-risk clinic (COVID-19 clinic and COVID-19 intensive care unit), and sweating during the use of PPE were predictive factors for the development of DRPI (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The prevalence of DRPI due to PPE use among healthcare workers was quite high. Gender, age, occupation, long duration of PPE use, working in a high-risk clinic, and sweating during the use of PPE were found to be risk factors in the development of DRPI.