Evaluation of Photobiomodulation while Preventing Pressure Injuries in COVID-19 Patients: A Randomised, Controlled, Double-Blind, Clinical Protocol

Abstract

Due to the high incidence, pressure injuries (PIs) are considered a serious public health problem and a negative indicator of the quality of nursing care. The aim of the present study is to investigate the preventive effects of photobiomodulation (PBM) applied to areas most susceptible to the development of PIs in patients hospitalised with COVID-19. This paper describes the protocol for a randomised, controlled, double-blind, clinical trial involving hospitalised participants at high or moderate risk of developing PIs. The participants were randomised into two groups: a control group (n = 70) submitted to the standard institutional procedures for PI prevention and a PBM group (n = 70) submitted to the same procedures as the control group, along with PBM applied once per day for 10 minutes to each of the three most commonly affected regions (sacral and bilateral calcaneal areas). PBM was administered using a 264-LED panel consisting of 132 LEDs at a wavelength of 660 nm and 132 at 850 nm. The incidence of PI was investigated every 48 hours after hospital admission for a period of one month. Statistical analysis will be performed considering α = 0.05.