Nearly all organizations concerned with healthcare quality have recognized pressure ulcers as a quality indicator. This assumption has impacted reimbursement policy and facility ratings, and resulted a risk-management burden for caregivers across the healthcare...
The term “never event” is commonly applied to pressure ulcers, giving the impression that they are always associated with medical error. As such, it lends this outcome an emotional charge that can lead to misplaced patient dissatisfaction and unnecessary accusations...
The industry-wide acceptance of risk assessment scales for pressure ulcers has gotten us accustomed to evaluating risk factors for skin breakdown. The most popular is the Braden Scale which incorporates subscales of sensory perception, moisture, activity, mobility,...
The industry standard for turning and repositioning a patient at risk for pressure ulcers is every two hours. There is, however, limited research to support this standard. As the costliest elements of pressure ulcer prevention are support surfaces and repositioning, a...
The 8th Edition of the Geriatric Review Syllabus (GRS8) released this year contains a brief but significant addition to the chapter on pressure ulcers: a section on the unavoidable pressure ulcer. This is the first time an official study guide for the medical...
The Kennedy Terminal Ulcer (KTU) has been around for over two decades, and continues to play a large part in discussions as to whether pressure ulcers are avoidable or unavoidable. Until now the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has not acknowledged the...
