Introduction: Critically ill patients in intensive care units are in a life-threatening condition where they are also exposed to developing pressure ulcers. Nurses play an important role in pressure ulcer prevention. Nurses use various aids and tools for nutritional and pressure ulcer risk screening. Nutrition risk screening enables timely and appropriate nutritional support. Purpose: The purpose of this diploma work is to determine the impact of diet and nutritional status on the risk of critically ill patients in intensive care units for the development of pressure ulcers. The objectives of the diploma work are: To investigate the relationship between the diet and the incidence of pressure ulcers; present nutritional assessment and nutritional recommendations for the critically ill in terms of preventing pressure ulcers; describe rating scales to assess the risk of pressure ulcer in critically ill patients and investigate the involvement of eating and drinking in their assessment parameters. Methods: A descriptive method of working with a review of scientific and professional literature was used. The literature was searched in databases: CINAHL, Medline, PubMed, COBIB.SI mutual catalogue database and in the Nursing Review. 7 keywords were used to search the literature: nutrition, critically ill, intensive care unit, pressure ulcers, malnutrition, nutritional screening, assessment scale. 59 units of literature were used. Results: Malnutrition and the incidence of pressure ulcers have been proven to be associated. Several nutritional screening tools are used to assess patient nutrition. Recommendations for the diet of the critically ill suggest adjusting the nutrient intake to the nutritional status of the critically ill. If sufficient intake is not possible, high calorie and high protein supplements are added between meals and enteral or parenteral support is introduced as needed. The Cubbin-Jackson scale and the COMHON index scale are, the most appropriate scales for assessing the risk of ulceration, since they are the only ones that include eating assessment and have the highest correlation between nutrition and the incidence of pressure ulcers. Discussion and conclusion: Assessing a patient's nutritional status is important in determining nutritional risk and in planning individually tailored nutritional support for critically ill patients. Achieving better treatment outcomes requires the involvement of all members of the healthcare team, as only an integrated treatment of the patient can provide adequate and quality health care.
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