Transitioning Care from Hospital to Home, Increasing Awareness of Take-home Pressure Injury Prevention Kits

With proper implementation of evidence-based interventions, most pressure injuries (PI) can be prevented. While prevention is considered standard of care while inpatient, there is a need to transition this care from hospital to home. This CNL project aimed to increased awareness of take home PI prevention kits made available to staff nurses at on medical surgical hospital unit with 15 staff nurses. An author-blinded, internal chart review and a comprehensive review of evidence-based literature were studied to provide background data and support for implementation using the staff huddle. Direct observation and staff interaction was incorporated with Lewin’s change theory to propel the project forward. Implementation began on March 29th, and data from pre and post-testing during huddles was evaluated using a run chart and revealed a successful goal of at least 75% increased staff awareness. Questionnaires and informal discussions revealed that while the majority of staff felt the kits offered patients positive preventative tools, responses captured that approximately 25% of staff felt providing the kits would increase workload. The author concludes a strong connection to nursing relevance in advocating for patient safety by transitioning care from hospital to home, however, appreciative inquiry suggests that it would beneficial to address staff concerns surrounding increased workload in order to increase solidification of stakeholder buy-in toward promoting global aim success