Perioperative pressure injuries (PI) remain a preventable yet persistent source of patient harm across surgical settings. Despite advances in technology and growing awareness, many organizations continue to rely on reactive, device-focused interventions rather than a coordinated, evidence-based prevention strategy. Variation in OR surfaces, inconsistent positioning practices, and the absence of standardized, data-driven risk assessment often create systemic gaps that perioperative nurses and surgical technologists encounter daily but are often unable to address in a sustainable way.
This educational program is designed to shift PI prevention from an individual, task-based responsibility to a unified, strategic approach that aligns people, processes, and products across the perioperative continuum. By reducing unwarranted variation, strengthening compliance, and supporting nurse-driven advocacy, perioperative teams can improve outcomes while demonstrating measurable clinical and financial value.
Learning Objectives:
Describe the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that may make a perioperative patient prone to pressure injury
Outline a standardized pressure injury prevention protocol that will enable the perioperative nurse to create an individualized plan of care
Discuss at least three surface solutions that are designed to minimize the risk of perioperative pressure injury
