Aim

To assess the knowledge on the use of specialist dressings for treating pressure ulcers among long-term care nurses.

Material and methods

The study was conducted in long-term care institutions in Mazowieckie Province, and included a group of 100 nurses with at least one-year experience in long-term care. The significance of correlations was evaluated using the chi-square test. Correlations between variables were assessed using Spearman’s rank correlation.

Results

The study included 20 respondents representing each form of long-term care. Nurses with professional experience of 15-30 years were the largest subgroup (39%). A total of 26% of nurses had more than 10 patients under care. Availability of specialist dressings at workplace was declared by 10% of respondents. The study showed that the level of knowledge on the use of dressings for treating pressure ulcers was insufficient in 30%, sufficient in 50% and good in 20% of respondents. Half of respondents employed in long-term care facilities showed good level of knowledge. No significant correlation was found between education of respondents and their knowledge on the use of dressings in the treatment of pressure ulcers. The level of knowledge on the use of dressings for treating pressure ulcers increased with the length of service at present place of employment.

Conclusions

1. Long-term care nurses should participate in regular training on the use of specialist dressings for pressure ulcers. 2. Nurses employed in long-term care facilities show a higher level of knowledge compared to those involved in other forms of long-term care.