Istanbul Gelişim University Nursing Department organized a Conference on Evidence-Based Practices in Preventing Pressure Injuries in UBYO Conference Hall on 28.11.2018. Principal director of IGU School of Health Sciences Assist. Prof. Dr. A. Yüksel BARUT, assistant director Lecturer A. Mücella SOYDAN, Head of the Department of Nursing in English education, Assist. Prof. Dr. Funda KARAMAN, Head of Department of Nursing (Turkish), Assist. Prof. Dr. Canan ÖRÜKLÜ, other members of the Nursing Department and students attended the seminar. Specialist Nurse Banu KATRAN, the Director of Nursing Services at the French Lape Hospital, attended the conference as a speaker. Ms. KATRAN, who graduated from Marmara University Faculty of Nursing, worked as an intensive care nurse for 18 years during her professional life. In addition, she worked as the Nursing Services Manager. She has been the Director of Nursing Services in various hospitals for the last 6 years. Ms Katran is currently the Director of Nursing Services at French Lape Hospital. She is continuing her doctore degree studies in the department of Surgical Nursing and conducts studies on pressure injury. At the beginning of her speeche, she emphasized the importance preventing, pressure sores. Pressure injury is ischemia, cell death and tissue necrosis that occurs as a result of continuous and prolonged compression to any body area. She emphasized that the most frequent patient with pressure wounds are the ones in the intensive care unit, and she stated that such injuries adversely affect the costs, the length of hospital stay and the quality of life of the patients. She also said that nursing care is very important in the prevention of pressure sores. In the case of such injuries, nursing care should be performed in an evidence-based manner which shortens the recovery time for such wounds. The speaker said that the incidence in America is between 1.3 and 3 million. and the cost is between 2.2 and 3.6 billion dollars. Mrs. Katra nalso said that pressure sores should be prevented in order to reduce health care costs. She said “There's a lot of work for you nurses. These wounds are preventable wounds. If we carry out our care according to evidence based practices, we will prevent these wounds and improve the quality of life of our patients”. The speaker said the exact frequency of pressure wounds in Turkey are unknown. Some studies performed in Turkey, reported that 63% of the patients in hospital intensive care are under the risk of pressure wounds and 41% of the same patients developed pressure ulcers. She also emphasized that the risk of death due to infection is 4.5 fold higher in the patient groups where pressure sores develop. Specialist Katran underlined that 95% of such wounds have developed in the lower part of the body. Evidence-based nursing practices include taking into account the needs and preferences of the caregiver, group or family; in addition to the planning, implementation and evaluation of the care based on theory and knowledge. It is a systematic approach that provides the highest quality of care in meeting the multifaceted needs of patients and families. The most effective use of existing resources, the individual and the society at the best possible level of physical, environmental, cultural and psychosocial health care and its maintanace are of great importance. In line with this objective, increasing costs and the need for effectiveness in the provision of clinical health care services has made the use of evidence-based applications mandatory. In this context, nurses and nursing students in health care services should reflect these practices to their care and nursing practices. Speaking of the stages of pressure sores, the speaker noted that it is very important to stage these wounds. As the stages progresses, evidence-based nursing practices also varied and the occupational group that recognized these stages was the nursing profession group. Mrs. Katran speaker who talked about evidence based nursing practices and the importance of patient risk status evaluation ended her speech with the following words: “ In order to prevent pressure scar formation, it is very important to determine the risk status with the most appropriate scales and to apply evidence-based preventive interventions during the evaluation of the patient. These applications should be done and evaluated by you. As you nurses of the future, make evidence-based practices an indispensable practice of your profession, and evidence is the basis of science.” Nursing is an applied profession based on science. In these applications we form the basis of our profession.” She said. Following her speech a plaque was given to the speaker, on behalf of the university, by the Director of the School of Health Sciences, . Assist. Prof. Dr.. A. Yüksel BARUT. We would like to express our gratitude to Mrd. Katran on behalf of our university and wish her success in her.
