Key result
Obesity in intensive care patients was not associated with significant differences in overall nursing care problems, although patients at risk for pressure ulcers had lower odds of being obese (OR 0.544).
Why the study?
Most studies on obesity in ICU patients have not specifically addressed the problems and challenges from the perspective of nurses.
Does obesity affect the prevalence of nursing care problems in intensive care patients?
Cross-Sectional (n=460)
Yes
Does obesity affect the prevalence of nursing care problems in intensive care patients?
Obesity does not significantly alter the prevalence of nursing care problems in ICU patients, though it is associated with a lower risk of pressure ulcers.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Obesity should not prompt changes to ICU nursing protocols; leaves open whether pressure ulcer risk stratification requires obesity adjustment in prospective studies.
OBJECTIVES: To describe the characteristics and nursing care problems of intensive care patients in Austria stratified by obesity. BACKGROUND: Obese people in intensive care units (ICUs) present nurses with special challenges. Therefore, nurses need to receive education and training regarding how to treat obese patients to provide them with the best care. Most studies on obesity in ICU patients have not specifically addressed the problems and challenges from the nurses' perspective. This may be because nursing science programmes in Europe rarely introduce the topic of obesity. DESIGN: This was a secondary data analysis of a longitudinal study. METHODOLOGY: The "Nursing Quality Measurement 2.0" is the Austrian version of the "International Prevalence Measurement of Care problems". It is an annual cross-sectional study, which has been carried out since 2009. Data from all ICU patients for 2009 to 2018 were extracted and combined into one file (n = 460). The main outcome measures were obesity and various nursing care problems, including care dependency. RESULTS: Of the ICU patients. 25% were obese. Obese ICU patients suffered significantly more often from diabetes mellitus and endocrine, nutritional, or metabolic diseases than non-obese patients. About 30% of the ICU patients were totally care dependent, and 85.6% of the ICU patients were at risk of developing pressure ulcers, whereas the risk was higher for non-obese than obese patients. ICU patients with a risk of pressure ulcer (measured with the Braden Scale) had a reduced risk of being obese (OR = 0.544). CONCLUSION: Overall, the prevalence of nursing care problems found in this study was high. No significant differences in the prevalence of nursing care problems between obese and non-obese patients were found. However, because of the increase in the number of obese patients in all nursing settings, a stronger focus on obesity research in the area of nursing science is recommended.
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Großschädl et al. (2020) conducted a cross-sectional in Intensive care patients (n=460). Obesity vs. Non-obese patients was evaluated on Risk of pressure ulcer (measured with the Braden Scale) (OR 0.544). Obesity in intensive care patients was not associated with significant differences in overall nursing care problems, although patients at risk for pressure ulcers had lower odds of being obese (OR 0.544).
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