Repositioning To Prevent the Risk Of Decubitus using Digital Skin Moisture Tools

Abstract

Stroke is the biggest contributor to the risk of decubitus in health care. This incident is due to immobilization which affects the moisture of the skin. Decubitus can worsen the patient's quality of life and lead to death. Prevention of the risk of decubitus is carried out by repositioning. Objective: find out the effect of repositioning on the risk of decubitus using Digital Skin Moisture. Method: quasi-experimental research with a non-equivalent control group design consisting of intervention and control groups. The sample is a stroke patient with immobilization, registered a maximum of 3x24 hours of first reception. Sixty people (30 intervention groups and 30 control group people) were recruited using purposive sampling techniques. The study was conducted over 3 months (July-September 2022). Results: the Mann-Whitney test showed that the post-test results of the intervention group experienced more skin moisture reduction (mean-rank 23.63) compared to the control group (mean-rank 37.37) with a significant value of p=0.002<p=0.05. Therefore, it was concluded that repositioning measures positively influenced the risk of decubitus seen from the moisture of the patient's skin. Conclusion: A stroke is a high-risk event of decubitus judging from skin moisture. Almost all stroke patients have abnormal skin moisture. Repositioning every 2 hours has a significant effect on reducing skin moisture. Skin moisture measurement can be used with Digital Skin Moisture Tools. This tool is highly recommended because it can provide accurate and fast information on the risk of decubitus.