This is a systematic literature review focussing on the knowledge, skill and attitude of a

registered nurse regarding pressure ulcer prevention. The core themes of this study are
to find out the reported incidence of pressure ulcer formation in inpatients and the
strategies adopted by the nurses to combat the problem in United Kingdom. The
importance of evidence based practice in nursing and the extensive development in the
research field has produced the need for searching, evaluating, and constructing
previously learned research knowledge (Schmidt & Brown, 2009).
A systematic review is the representation of authentic primary research studies to
extract the evidence answering a clearly stated research question. In this review, the
use of organised and precise methods is utilized to identify, select, and critically analyse
the primary research studies before reaching a conclusion (Mann et al., 2009).
Therefore, the research method adopted in this study also relates to as, Research of
Research. Pressure ulcers are also referred to as Decubitis ulcers, and have been
defined in a variety of ways (Kottner et al., 2009).
Pressure ulcers represent a serious amount of burden of illness and decreased quality
of life in patients suffering from sicknesses that cause them to become bed-ridden.
There is no nationally collected data on the epidemiology of pressure ulcers among
patients admitted in hospitals. The estimations from hospital based researches vary
markedly in statistics and rates of prevalence of the ulcerations (Thomas, 2010). This
information between hospitals also shows differences in results depending on the
definition of pressure ulcer used, the population under study, and the care setting under
consideration.
Based on the current available data, the occurrences of pressure ulcer formation are
been observed in 4 to 10 percent patients admitted in hospitals across United Kingdom,
although the precise estimation depends on the case mix (NICE, 2011). Pressure
ulcers, in fact are ischemic lesions of the dermis and its underlying skin layers. These
lesions are formed by constant, unrelieving pressures that impairs the flow of blood and
lymph in the localized areas of the biological underlying structures (Kallman et al.,
2009). These ulcerations commonly develop over the parts of the body with bony
prominences, but they can form in other dependent and immobilized parts of the body