Introduction: A pressure ulcer is a localized damage of the skin or/and underlying tissues, caused by pressure, or a combination of pressure, shear and friction. The severity of patient illness is greater in the intensive care unit, than on other departments, so they are more prone to the development of a pressure ulcer. Purpose: The purpose of the diploma work is to define specific risk factors for the development of a pressure ulcer in patients in an intensive care unit, to define the role of the nurse and develop a schematic representation of the pressure ulcer prevention algorithm in intensive care unit, based on a sistematic literature review. Methods: A descriptive method with an overview of professional and scientific literature in databases CINAHL, Medline, ERIC, ScienceDirect, Cochrane library and through the catalog database COBIB.SI was used. The keywords with the use of Bool's operators AND and OR were: pressure ulcer, bedsore, pressure sore, decubitus ulcer, intensive care, intensive care unit, critical care, care bundle, ICU, scale, prevention, tool, risk factor, nursing. The literature from the period from January 2010 to October 2017 was reviewed. There were 48 units of literature used, of which 11 for the development of the protocol, Results: Most commonly mentioned specific risk factors in patients in intensive care units are: drugs, braces, catheters, vein accesses, mechanical ventilation and poor nutritional status. An example of the schematic algorithm for the prevention of pressure ulcers in intensive care units that emphasizes specific risk factors with preventive nursing interventions was designed. Discussion and conclusion: The effect of specific risk factors is underresearched. This is particularly seen on the field of vazopressors, whose influence on pressure ulcer development is still not definitively clarified. The effectiveness of prophylactic silicone 5-layer foam dressings has also been proven, but there are no uniform standards for their use in Slovenia. Also the incompatibility of non-specific assessment scales for use in intensive care units has been demonstrated. It is necessary to promote quality research in the field of risk factors for the development of pressure ulcers in patients in intensive care units, to investigate the effectiveness and usefulness of assessment scales such as Cubbin-Jackson and COMHON, and to develope new, evidence-based standards that will ensure a patient without pressure ulcers during hospitalization.
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