Pressure ulcer prevention

Learn more about the consequences of the pressure ulcers

Pressure ulcers can have a major impact on both the individual and the healthcare system.

Pain Impact

Pressure ulcers are painful wounds which can severely affect patient’s quality of life. Pain levels in pressure ulcers have often been unrecognised however in recent surveys the following statistics on patient pain have been reported:

• Up to 87.5% patients reporting pain at wound dressing change¹²
• PU Pain prevalence reported 16.3% prevalence¹³

The recently published NPUAP/EPUAP guidelines comment that this pain can be both ’quantified’ and ’differentiated’ from other pain episodes and, importantly, occurs both during procedures and at rest. Additionally, the guidelines recommend that all patients with pressure ulcers should be assessed for pain using a validated scale and preventative/ management measures put in place.

Example of a Pain Assessment Tool

Download a PDF of the pain assessment tool here

More recently the use of pain or altered sensation as a risk factor has also been identified, although further research is required.

Financial Impact

Pressure ulcers place a major burden on healthcare systems worldwide, with an emerging additional cost of litigation increasing in importance over recent years.
Healthcare practitioners need to be aware of both the direct and indirect costs and consider how the implementation of prevention protocols may offer cost savings in the longer term. The cost of a dressing for example as a prevention tool is minimal in comparison to the costs of treating an establish pressure ulcer.

A few facts of the real financial cost of pressure ulceration:

References

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