Patient and staff nurse’s experiences of the 30 degree tilt reposition technique, for the prevention of pressure ulcers, in an elderly care unit.

This study set out to explore the experiences of patients and staff nurses using the 30° repositioning technique for the prevention of pressure ulcers, within an elderly Irish health care setting. Ethical approval was received. A qualitative descriptive approach was used to answer the research question. Data were collected by conducting a focus group with 8 staff nurses and in-depth interviews with 6 patient participants. To select participants’ purposive sampling was used for the patients and for staff nurses’ convenience sampling was used. The Colaizzi’s framework (1978) was adopted for data analysis. The study findings suggest that both the patient and nurse participants understood the benefits of using the 30° repositioning technique, in that it relieved pain and promoted comfort, further, for those with existing ulcers some were reduced in size and some healed. The staff nurses found that repositioning promoted standardization of care and enabled early detection of pressure damage. The study highlights the role of nurses as patient advocates in implementing best practice concerning the repositioning needs of patients. Further, the study suggests that involving patients in shared decision making will enable nurses gain patient co-operation and also provide opportunities to promote health literacy.