The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has released a draft report (pdf) on pressure ulcer risk assessment and prevention.
The report, "Pressure Ulcer Risk Assessment and Prevention: A Comparative Effectiveness Review," collates pressure ulcer assessment scales and prevention efforts based on data from MEDLINE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, clinical trials registries and reference lists.
AHRQ found that commonly used risk assessment tools such as the Braden, Norton and Waterlow scales can identify patients at increased risk for ulcers with roughly equal accuracy.
To assess prevention initiatives, AHRQ looked at static support surfaces. It found that in higher risk populations, more advanced static support surfaces were associated with lower risk of pressure ulcers compared with standard mattresses for the same population. Literature on other support surfaces was limited, however, as was evidence on other preventive interventions, such as nutritional supplementation, repositioning and pads and dressings.
AHRQ concluded that while risk assessment scales can identify patients at higher risk for pressure ulcers, additional research is needed to evaluate the effect of these assessments on the rate of pressure ulcers and the effectiveness of prevention interventions.
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The report, "Pressure Ulcer Risk Assessment and Prevention: A Comparative Effectiveness Review," collates pressure ulcer assessment scales and prevention efforts based on data from MEDLINE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, clinical trials registries and reference lists.
AHRQ found that commonly used risk assessment tools such as the Braden, Norton and Waterlow scales can identify patients at increased risk for ulcers with roughly equal accuracy.
To assess prevention initiatives, AHRQ looked at static support surfaces. It found that in higher risk populations, more advanced static support surfaces were associated with lower risk of pressure ulcers compared with standard mattresses for the same population. Literature on other support surfaces was limited, however, as was evidence on other preventive interventions, such as nutritional supplementation, repositioning and pads and dressings.
AHRQ concluded that while risk assessment scales can identify patients at higher risk for pressure ulcers, additional research is needed to evaluate the effect of these assessments on the rate of pressure ulcers and the effectiveness of prevention interventions.
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Under Pressure to Reduce Harm: How BJC HealthCare Decreased Hospital-Acquired Pressure Ulcers by 58%