The Effectiveness of Continuous Bedside Pressure Mapping for Pressure Injury Prevention: A Mixed‐Methods Systematic Review

Aim To synthesize evidence on continuous bedside pressure mapping for pressure injury prevention in adult hospital and long‐term care settings and its impact on staff and family members. Design Mixed‐methods systematic review following the Joanna Briggs Institute convergent segregated approach. Methods Double screening, standardized data extraction and quality appraisal were performed. Quantitative findings were synthesized using meta‐analysis where appropriate or summarized without pooling, and qualitative findings were synthesized thematically, followed by integrated synthesis. The review was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42024537519). Data Sources PubMed, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, Embase, CINAHL, CNKI, Wanfang Data and VIP were searched from inception to September 20, 2025. Manual checking of relevant sources, including citation and reference checking, was also conducted. Results Eighteen studies were included. Observational cohort studies suggested lower pressure injury incidence in selected high‐risk settings, but randomized trials showed no significant overall preventive effect. An exploratory interface pressure meta‐analysis showed a borderline reduction with substantial heterogeneity and was not robust to sensitivity analysis. The technology was associated with process improvements in the timeliness of repositioning, staff knowledge, patient awareness and acceptability. Barriers included cost, technical concerns, workflow disruption and limited economic evidence. Conclusion Continuous bedside pressure mapping may support pressure injury prevention as a workflow‐integrated decision‐support tool, but evidence of clinical effectiveness remains limited and context‐dependent. Implementation should include staff training, protocolized repositioning, patient and family communication and evaluation of care processes, clinical outcomes, workload and costs. High‐quality randomized trials with standardized protocols and economic evaluations are needed. Implications for the Profession and/or Patient Care Nurses should use continuous bedside pressure mapping as an adjunct to clinical judgement and established protocols, rather than as a stand‐alone intervention. Adoption should include staff training, agreed repositioning protocols and alert thresholds, patient and family explanation and monitoring of care processes, workload, outcomes and costs. Reporting Method This systematic review adhered to the PRISMA 2020 reporting guideline. No Patient or Public Contribution No patient or public contribution.