Pressure injury related to the use of personal protective equipment in COVID-19 pandemic.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To describe the prevalence and factors associated with pressure injuries related to the use of personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Cross-sectional study conducted using an instrument made available in social networks with 1,106 health professionals. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and compared, considering pvalue < 0.05. RESULTS: There was a prevalence of 69.4% for pressure injuries related to the use of personal protective equipment, with an average of 2.4 injuries per professional. The significant factors were under 35 years of age, working and wearing personal protective equipment for more than six hours a day, in hospital units, and without the use of inputs for protection. CONCLUSION: Pressure injuries related to the use of medical devices showed a high prevalence in this population. The recognition of the damage in these professionals makes it possible to advance in prevention strategies.