Patient Safety

- Pressure Ulcers

Pressure ulcers are a preventable source of unnecessary harm to patients. They are painful, reduce the quality of life, often lead to the development of serious infections, hinder recovery, and in extreme cases can contribute to a person´s death. A pressure ulcer is defined as a localized injury to the skin and/or underlying tissue, usually over a bony prominence, as a result of pressure or pressure in combination with shear and/or friction.

Nationally, pressure ulcers affect more than 1 million acute care and nursing facility patients and the costs of treatment exceed $1 billion annually. Lawsuit claims per occupied bed have increased at an annual rate of 14 percent, while the average court settlement has risen $250,000. Pressure ulcers are not only costly but, according to the National Quality Measures Clearing House (www.quality measures.ahrq.gov), may increase nursing time up to 50 percent.

Effective prevention programs require support from leadership, education and making pressure ulcer prevention a priority to all staff. Standardization of processes along with measuring and evaluating tests of change using quality improvement methods and tools are keys to success.

IFMC partners with clinical, hospital and skilled nursing facility staff to implement system changes to impact identification, wound treatment and documentation of appropriate preventative measures for high- risk patients. Evidence suggests that pressure ulcers, and other patient harm, can be reduced by improving safety through health care process and system redesign.

For more information on pressure ulcer prevention and reduction, contact the Patient Safety Team at 1-800-383-2856.

Click here for Pressure Ulcer Resources