Self-turning for pressure injury prevention

• There is a lack of evidence-based support for self repositioning and mobilization.
• Patients can be educated regarding pressure reduction during the hospital stay.
• Technology can be safely and reliably applied to the question of self-repositioning.
• Our prospective study confirms patients can actively participate in pressure injury prevention.

The study objective was to determine if hospitalized patients who are designated as self-turn would reposition themselves appropriately in the acute care setting. This was a prospective case series in a general practice unit of an 800-bed urban tertiary care hospital. Patients were instructed on the importance of mobility for pressure ulcer prevention and subsequently monitored on a continuous bedside pressure mapping device. Primary outcomes included intervals of inactivity and pressure ulcer incidence. During the 3-month study interval, only 2 patients had a documented 4-h interval without measurable repositioning. None of the 101 consecutive patients enrolled in the study developed pressure ulcers. General practice unit patients that are given proper instruction and designated as self-turn can reliably be considered low-risk for hospital acquired pressure ulcers. Based on our prospective study, patients designated as self-turn do reposition themselves.