Abstract: Objective: To develop a pressure injury prevention program for patients in Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) based on risk assessment and to evaluate its clinical effectiveness, providing evidence for skin management in PACU. Methods: A pressure injury prevention program for PACU patients was developed through literature review, semi-structured interviews, and Delphi expert consultation, and implemented from May 2025 at a tertiary grade A hospital in Nanjing. Patients were conveniently selected, with 100 patients admitted from March to April 2025 serving as the pre-implementation group and 100 patients from May to June 2025 as the post-implementation group. The nursing handover performance, risk identification ability, incidence of pressure injury, and nursing satisfaction were compared between the two groups. Results: In the post-implementation group, the handover completion rate was 86.0%, the risk identification rate was 89.0%, and the nursing satisfaction rate was 98.0%, all significantly higher than those in the pre-implementation group. Besides, the incidence of pressure injury was 2.0% in the post-implementation group, significantly lower than that in the pre-implementation group (P<0.05). Conclusion: The pressure injury prevention program for PACU patients improves the nursing handover completion rate and risk identification rate, reduces the incidence of pressure injuries, and enhances nursing satisfaction. Therefore, the program demonstrates strong clinical applicability and promotion value.

Key words: Post-Anesthesia Care Unit; pressure injury; risk assessment; graded management; nursing quality