Pressure area care: How to prevent pressure ulcers

When a patient’s skin & soft tissue press against a harder surface (for example; a bed) for a prolonged time, pressure ulcers can form. This pressure reduces blood supply to those areas & lack of blood supply can cause skin tissue damage. As a result of this, a pressure ulcer may form. These ulcers are also called as bedsores/pressure sores.

It is the responsibility of all healthcare staff, either Nurses and Healthcare assistants to ensure pressure area care is given to residents/patients and any abnormalities or concerns are reported to the Nurse in charge or are escalated to a tissue viability nurses.

Skin assessment by healthcare staff

Healthcare staff need to examine the patient’s skin every day from head to toe. Special attention should be given to the areas where pressure ulcers often form. These areas are:

• Back of the head & Ears
• Shoulders and shoulder blades
• Elbows
• Spine
• Lower back & buttocks
• Hips
• Inner knees
• Heel/Toes

Early signs of pressure ulcers include skin redness/warm areas/spongy or hard skin/breakdown of the top layers of skin etc. It is helpful to keep a record of body map showing the position of the skin damage & a written description. To record the size/severity of the damage, it is also helpful to keep a photograph. While undertaking a skin assessment, it is necessary to maintain the privacy & dignity of the patient.

How to prevent pressure ulcers

By identifying the patients at risk & following best practices, it may be possible to stop or reduce the chances of getting pressure ulcers. Below are few tips that healthcare staff need to follow;

• Provide effective skin care to the patient & keep their skin clean & moisturized
• Encourage patients to participate in their own skin care
• Advise the patients to have good nutrition & to stay hydrated since these have major impacts on skin health
• Regularly reposition the patients who are at risk