Pressure injuries have plagued us as a society for hundreds of years. Despite major developments in risk assessment and management of pressure injuries these continue to be recognised in the top three causes of preventable harm globally. A review of literature indicates that pressure injuries are 95% preventable, however what about specialised groups such as oncology?
Whilst contributing to a significant imposition on health care resources (increased length of stay, infection, reduced mobility, back injuries to staff) the cost to the patient in terms of quality of life, pain and suffering and impact on the family cannot be understated.
It is now time to rethink how we can move from crisis management to preventative management for pressure injury avoidance.
The questions we need to ask are:
1. How are we damaging skin?
2. Is our practice based on ritualistic generational learnt habits rather than evidence based practice?
3. What little things can we change to make a big difference?
Pressure injuries can occur in any healthcare setting. To achieve effective preventative care, it requires a multi-disciplinary team. More so, every healthcare member needs to ensure they understand their role in providing quality pressure injury preventative management.
This presentation will challenge health care workers to understand the priority of this nurse sensitive indicator. It will assist clinicians to identify patients at risk of pressure injuries and outline specific interventions for prevention.