Preventive measures for pressure injuries: structure of social representations of nursing teams

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the structure of social representations on the preventive measures to pressure injury of nursing teams. Method: Qualitative research, based on the structural approach of Social Representations. It was conducted with 103 nursing professionals from a specialized hospital, using the Word Association Test. Data were submitted to prototypical analysis, using two analysis techniques of centrality, similarity and double negation. Results: The evocations “care” and “decubitus” made up the central core of the representation, which was structured based on the imagery dimension of changing position, from which a hierarchy of preventive measures occurs. The term “care” referred to the normative dimension of representation as a responsibility of nursing, and to the practical dimension, as preventive actions with the use of technologies. Conclusion: The image, normative and practice dimensions are part of the representation structure and guide compliance with preventive measures.