Work

Assessment of medical adhesive-related skin injury among adults in the intensive care unit: a best practice implementation project

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: INTRODUCTION: Medical adhesive-related skin injury (MARSI) is common in intensive care units, increasing pain and infection risk. Assessment is critical for MARSI prevention. OBJECTIVE: This study reports on a best practice implementation project to improve MARSI assessment in two intensive care units in a tertiary hospital in China. METHODS: This project was guided by the JBI Model of Evidence-Based Healthcare and the JBI Evidence Implementation Framework, which is based on an audit and feedback process. JBI best practice recommendations were used to develop audit criteria. A baseline audit was conducted to measure current practices against best practices. Barriers to compliance were identified and improvement strategies were developed. Two follow-up audits were conducted to gauge the effectiveness of the strategies. RESULTS: The baseline audit revealed that compliance with the five audit criteria ranged from 30%-53%, with a median MARSI knowledge score of 55 (interquartile range 45-60) among nurses and a MARSI incidence rate of 21.67%. Following the implementation of strategies (training, validated assessment tools, electronic documentation), the first follow-up audit showed that compliance with the five audit criteria ranged from 48%-100% and the nurses' median MARSI knowledge score was 85 (interquartile range 80-90). The incidence rate of MARSI decreased to 13.33%. Omitted assessment tasks were identified as a new barrier, leading to the addition of pop-up prompts. The second follow-up audit showed that compliance with the five audit criteria increased to 83%-100%, the median MARSI knowledge score was 90 (interquartile range 85-95), and MARSI incidence further dropped to 11.67%. CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of this project improved compliance with the five audit criteria and nurses' MARSI knowledge score. SPANISH ABSTRACT: http://links.lww.com/IJEBH/A543.

Source: International Journal of Evidence-Based Healthcare

DOI: 10.1097/xeb.0000000000000579