Abstract

Decubitus ulcers, also referred to as bedsores, or pressure ulcers, is a type of ulcer that damages the skin and the underlying tissue, usually over bony areas. This study seeks to assess and examine the knowledge and perception of decubitus ulcer among patients in a tertiary health institution, Benin City, Edo state. The research design adopted was a descriptive cross-sectional design to identify the knowledge and perception of decubitus ulcer among patients which involved the collection of data from respondents by using self-administered questionnaires in describing the characteristics of the population. With a sample size of 115, 115 was filled; recording a 100% response rate. 83.5% of the respondents had poor knowledge of decubitus ulcers, while 63.5% of the respondents had poor perception on decubitus ulcer. 53.9% of the respondents reported that factors increase the risk of developing decubitus ulcers. The hypothesis was tested using a chi-square, the findings revealed there was a significant association between the level of knowledge and the perception of the respondents on decubitus ulcer, the  was 39.560 while P was (<0.001). The findings of this study have significant implications for nursing practice, particularly in patient education and preventive care in tertiary hospital setting. The study underscores the urgent need for increased education and awareness programs regarding decubitus ulcers.

Keywords:Knowledge, Perception, Decubitus ulcer, patients, Tertiary health institution