Assessment of Knowledge Level Regarding Pressure Ulcer Prevention Among Undergraduate Nursing Students in DHQ Hospital Kohat

Abstract

Introduction: Pressure ulcers remain one of the leading preventable complications in healthcare and are strongly associated with immobility, critical illness, and prolonged hospitalization. Nurses and nursing students play a central role in prevention through risk assessment, skin care, repositioning, and evidence-based interventions; gaps in student knowledge may place patients at risk.

Objective: To assess the knowledge level of undergraduate nursing students regarding pressure ulcer prevention at DHQ Hospital Kohat.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 150 undergraduate nursing students, selected by proportionate sampling from a population of 245. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire based on the Pressure Ulcer Knowledge Assessment Tool (PUKAT 2.0, Cronbach's alpha 0.77), covering etiology, risk factors, staging, prevention, and clinical management. Data were analyzed in SPSS version 26 using descriptive statistics. Knowledge was classified as good (≥75%), fair (50–74%), or poor (<50%).

Results: Overall, 59.3% of participants demonstrated poor knowledge, 33.3% fair knowledge, and only 7.3% good knowledge. Item-level analysis revealed marked deficits in understanding of etiology (30.7% correct), shear force (28.0%), staging (28.0%), risk assessment tools (28.0%), and preventive interventions such as repositioning (28.0%). Only 25.3% of students had received formal training in pressure ulcer prevention.

Conclusion: Undergraduate nursing students at DHQ Hospital Kohat possess inadequate knowledge of pressure ulcer prevention. Strengthening curricular content, clinical training, and simulation-based education is recommended to close this gap and improve future patient safety outcomes.