Pressure Ulcers
A pressure ulcer or bedsore is an injury to the skin or underlying tissue usually over a bony protruding area of the body. Pressure ulcers can range in severity from minor skin reddening to deep wounds. Factors that cause pressure ulcers are unrelieved pressure on the skin, or slight rubbing or friction on the skin.
Boston Medical Center Nurses Teach Pressure Ulcer Prevention
Three nurses at Boston Medical Center are taking a proactive rather than reactive approach to skin care. The skin team RNs - two full time and one part time - constantly emphasize the importance of assessing patients' skin from head to toe. Because ongoing documentation of pressure ulcers is necessary to ensure Medicare reimbursement, the nurses review with staff on a regular basis how to pro...» Full Article
Cooley Dickinson Hospital’s Positive Culture Led to Pressure Ulcer Improvements
In the past eight quarters since the end of 2007, Cooley Dickinson Hospital - a 140-bed facility in Northampton, Massachusetts - has had three quarters with zero incidents of pressure ulcers (bed sores). It's impressive because even under the best circumstances, bedsores "happen." That is, patients enter hospitals with their skin severely compromised from long illnesses. Or their treatment is s...» Full Article
SPHS – Mercy Medical Center, Implements a Program to Decrease Pressure Ulcers
As the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) continue to provide less payment for hospital acquired pressure ulcers, increased demands are placed on nurses to reduce the number of patients who acquire these conditions. As pressure-ulcer incidence rates continue to rise, more hospitals are implementing intervention and prevention programs in order to combat pressure ulcer occurrence an...» Full Article