Frequency of turning in bed at home in persons with chronic spinal cord injury

The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, 2022 · DOI: 10.1080/10790268.2020.1800965 · Published: August 4, 2020

Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Dermatology

Simple Explanation

This study looks at how often people with spinal cord injuries (SCI) turn in bed at night at home, since they're at high risk for pressure injuries. Turning regularly is recommended to prevent these injuries, but this study found that many people with SCI don't turn as often as advised. The study suggests healthcare providers should work with people with SCI to find a turning schedule that works for them to help protect their skin.

Study Duration

July 2019 to March 2020

Participants

86 subjects (70 men) with traumatic SCI

Evidence Level

Not specified

Key Findings

1
Only 25.6% of individuals with chronic SCI reported turning every 2 hours, despite 48.8% recalling this recommendation upon hospital discharge.
2
A significant portion (40.7%) of respondents stated that they do not turn regularly at night.
3
The majority of participants (94.2%) recalled turning more regularly when first discharged home, indicating a decrease in turning frequency over time.

Research Summary

This study aimed to determine the turning frequency at night of individuals with chronic traumatic SCI in their home environment. The study found limited adherence to the recommended two-hour repositioning frequency, with only 25.6% of individuals reporting turning at this frequency. The reasons for limited turning may be multi-factorial, however, this finding may serve as a call to practitioners to best determine the most appropriate turning frequency.

Practical Implications

Personalized Turning Schedules

Healthcare providers should collaborate with SCI patients to create turning schedules that are feasible and promote compliance, considering individual needs and circumstances.

Improved Education

Develop and implement better educational tools to inform individuals with SCI about the importance of turning and proper skin care.

Address Barriers to Turning

Identify and address barriers to regular turning, such as lack of assistance, impact on sleep quality, and perceived lack of need, to improve adherence to turning recommendations.

Study Limitations

1
Reliance on self-report of participants, which may introduce recall bias.
2
Inability to determine a causal relationship between turning intervals and the incidence of pressure injuries.
3
Lack of a prospective study with different turning regimens to delineate the optimal turning frequency.

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