Hospital acquired pressure ulcers are a large concern for any hospital facility due to treatment costs, reimbursement issues, and increase patient morbidity. The skin or underlying tissue becomes damaged by intense pressure when a patient has decreased mobility and is unable to move or change positions themselves. Common areas of skin damage related to pressure occur over bony areas such as the back, heels, hips, and sacrum. Pressure ulcers graded stage III or IV, are considered preventable never-events by Medicaid and Medicare, meaning they will not cover additional hospital costs associated with acquired pressure wounds. This along with providing quality patient care makes prevention of pressure ulcer high priority (Cooper, 2013)
A. Current …show more content…
If any pressure injuries are identified they are photographed and the images are placed in the chart as a form of documentation. In addition, all patients receive a full skin assessment each shift as well as an assessment of the patient’s risk for pressure injury using a tool referred to as the Braden Scale. The risk for pressure injury is based on the patient’s mobility, sensory perception, incontinent issues, current wounds, nutrition, and risk of friction or shearing injuries. The Branden Score helps determine how high of risk the patient is for developing a pressure wound. If a score of 13 or lower is calculated on a patient in my current facility repositioning protocols are initiated. When a patient is found to have a pressure related wound a referral is place for a wound care nurse to assess the patient. The wound nurse can then place orders for specialty air mattress and well as wound care orders to prevent further …show more content…
The hospital educators are also a valuable part of the health care team.
The registered nurses and nursing assistants are often the ones with the most direct patient care. The nursing team is responsible for the identification of patients with pressure ulcers as well as those that are high risk for development of pressure injuries. They also recognize and implement the strategies and changes to improve the risk of pressure injuries. Education of patients on prevention techniques is also required of nursing. The nurse managers and clinical coordinators are responsible for running reports, recognizing where improvements could be made, completing research on evidence-based improvements, and presenting all information collected to the Director of Nursing(DON). The DON then presents the recommended changes for approval. Once the changes are approved the education team is responsible for educating staff on the new procedure and policies. The nursing managers and clinical coordinators assess for complications related to the change that may develop as well as ensure that the change is being implemented by all
A. Current …show more content…
If any pressure injuries are identified they are photographed and the images are placed in the chart as a form of documentation. In addition, all patients receive a full skin assessment each shift as well as an assessment of the patient’s risk for pressure injury using a tool referred to as the Braden Scale. The risk for pressure injury is based on the patient’s mobility, sensory perception, incontinent issues, current wounds, nutrition, and risk of friction or shearing injuries. The Branden Score helps determine how high of risk the patient is for developing a pressure wound. If a score of 13 or lower is calculated on a patient in my current facility repositioning protocols are initiated. When a patient is found to have a pressure related wound a referral is place for a wound care nurse to assess the patient. The wound nurse can then place orders for specialty air mattress and well as wound care orders to prevent further …show more content…
The hospital educators are also a valuable part of the health care team.
The registered nurses and nursing assistants are often the ones with the most direct patient care. The nursing team is responsible for the identification of patients with pressure ulcers as well as those that are high risk for development of pressure injuries. They also recognize and implement the strategies and changes to improve the risk of pressure injuries. Education of patients on prevention techniques is also required of nursing. The nurse managers and clinical coordinators are responsible for running reports, recognizing where improvements could be made, completing research on evidence-based improvements, and presenting all information collected to the Director of Nursing(DON). The DON then presents the recommended changes for approval. Once the changes are approved the education team is responsible for educating staff on the new procedure and policies. The nursing managers and clinical coordinators assess for complications related to the change that may develop as well as ensure that the change is being implemented by all