The prevention of hospital-acquired pressure injuries among adult immobilized patients in a mental health department: a best practice implementation project.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this implementation project was to promote evidence-based practices regarding hospital-acquired pressure injuries prevention practices among immobilized adult patients in a mental health department and to measure the level of compliance with the best practice in this field. INTRODUCTION: Pressure injuries can have significant restrictions on the patient's quality of life; affect the patient physically, psychologically, and socially; lead to increased costs and length of hospital stay; and are closely linked to increased mortality. Thus, the best evidence practice implementation project was conducted in the mental health ward of a large teaching hospital in Bucharest. METHOD: The current evidence implementation project used the JBI Practical Application of Clinical Evidence System and Getting Research into Practice. The best practices project was carried out in a mental health department with 70 beds at Bucharest's largest mental health hospital. This analysis of nursing practice included all immobile patients who were hospitalized in the ward. RESULTS: Through the project to implement best practices for the prevention of pressure injuries, the activity of nurses was improved. If initially, the prevention of pressure injuries was a deficient activity in the hospital (compliance between 0 and 82%), after the implementation of the project, compliance with the recommendations of evidence-based practices was radically improved, obtaining a maximum percentage of 100% for all these activities: patient assessment, use of assessment tools, use of necessary devices, provision of high protein diet and patient education. CONCLUSION: The current project contributed to the standardization and improvement of nurses' practice of pressure injuries prevention in patients with mental illness and immobility hospitalized in a psychiatric ward. The development of future audits will help identify the sustainability of the implemented prevention measures.

Patient-centered health care planning in acute inpatient mental health settings: a best practice implementation project.

OBJECTIVES: The current project aimed to improve the quality of health care by promoting evidence-based practice (EBP) regarding mental health care planning (MHCP) for adult inpatients. INTRODUCTION: The implementation of the best evidence in the process of developing and documenting nursing care plans is currently an important legal requirement that contributes to increasing the quality of care. METHODS: This implementation project was based on the JBI evidence implementation approach and included a baseline audit of seven criteria, implementation of strategies, and a follow-up audit. The project was conducted in an acute psychiatric setting at a university hospital in Bucharest, Romania. The sample included 17 nurses and 30 ward patients. RESULTS: The baseline audit revealed low compliance (33%-37%) for criterion 3 (a comprehensive care plan) and criterion 4 (patient involvement); moderate compliance (55%) for criterion 1 (care plan for all patients); and increased compliance (97%-100%) for criterion 2 (assessment of patient's needs), criterion 5 (education of patients/caregivers), criterion 6 (providing a copy at discharge), and criterion 7 (education of professionals). As a result of implementing the most appropriate strategies, the maximum improvement (100%) was observed across all five audit criteria that were found to be deficient in the baseline audit. CONCLUSION: The development and implementation of strategies adapted to specific care need to play a key role in the implementation of EBP. In this case, educating nurses, facilitating nurses' access to EBP for care planning, and improving procedures proved effective in achieving maximum compliance with all the audit criteria.