Date of Conferral

8-7-2026

Date of Award

August 2026

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Margaret Harvey

Abstract

Pressure injuries that patients develop while hospitalized continue to be a major safety concern in hospitals treating very sick patients. These wounds hurt, make infections more likely, keep people in the hospital longer, and increase expenses. On many units, the steps meant to stop these injuries, like checking each patient's risk level and turning patients regularly are not carried out the same way for everyone. Because of this inconsistency, some patients develop preventable pressure injuries. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was to create a clinical practice guideline (CPG) for organized pressure injury prevention and to confirm its quality. The guiding question was: According to the evidence, in hospitalized adult patients in acute care units, what is the impact of structured pressure injury prevention strategies on reducing hospital-acquired pressure injury rates? A structured search of CINAHL and PubMed found strong support for this approach. Ten studies were included: three systematic reviews and seven single studies that used cohort, quality improvement, mixed-methods, and observational designs. The CPG was reviewed by an expert panel using the AGREE II tool. The panel rated the guideline highly for scope, clarity, and rigor. Most domain average item scores ranged between 5.9 and 6.7 out of 7, showing strong quality across all areas, with editorial independence and clarity of presentation reaching the highest averages. For the nursing field, this project highlights how helpful research-backed resources can in providing dependable, safe treatment for every patient. Furthermore, it is relevant to society by protecting patients who are most at risk from existing healthcare disparities and the financial implications of pressure injuries.

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