Feasibility of a repositioning schedule on pressure ulcer prevention in a French Intensive Care Unit: A pre and post-intervention pilot study.

AIMS: As a prerequisite of a multicentre study, we conducted a pilot study to assess the feasibility of a daily repositioning schedule in critically ill patients. The schedule was adapted to the patient's clinical condition, and the estimated risk for developing a pressure ulcer using the Braden scale. DESIGN: A single-center pre and post-intervention pilot study in a French Intensive Care Unit of a university teaching hospital. This study followed TREND guidelines. METHODS: During the first period (March to May 2018), pressure ulcer prevention was performed according to usual care. During the second period (June to August 2018), the repositioning schedule was adapted to the estimated risk for developing a pressure ulcer according to the Braden scale. Eligible patients had no pressure ulcer at baseline, were intubated within 24 hours of admission and expected to receive mechanical ventilation for at least 24 hours. The primary outcome was the rate of pressure ulcer development at 28 days of hospitalization or at discharge or death, as compared with usual care. Secondary outcomes included the feasibility and safety of the schedule, as assessed by caregivers' adherence and workload, and the rate of adverse events. RESULTS: In the pre-intervention period 20 participants were included, and 14 patients were included in the post-intervention period. There was no decrease in the pressure ulcers incidence with the intervention (25% vs. 28.6%; P = 1). The number of daily repositioning performed increased from 3.3 [IQR 3.0; 3.9] during the pre-intervention period to 4.3 [IQR 3.8; 5.2] during the post-intervention period (P < 0.05), where it differed from the number scheduled by 0.6 [IQR 0.1; 1.4] per day, indicating satisfactory adherence of caregivers to the protocol. Adverse events rate did not differ between the two periods (55.9% vs. 57.1%; P = 0.90). CONCLUSION: A personalised daily repositioning schedule in critically ill patients is feasible and safe. The efficacy of such a strategy, together with its economic impact, need to be assessed in a multicentre randomized trial.