Is fluid filled mattress technology compatible with NICE guidance?

Abstract

The NICE pressure ulcer guidelines the management of pressure ulcers in primary and secondary care (2005) recommend 'as a minimum provision a high specification foam mattress'. With this statement NICE infers that if quality of care is to be offered, an alternating pressure mattress should be used. In the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, a new approach to pressure ulcer management has been pioneered, with the introduction of fluid-filled mattresses instead of alternating pressure technology. The Trust has moved to a 98.4% static approach, in effect questioning the NICE guidelines and its recommendations on the selection of appropriate pressure relieving surfaces. Quarterly studies demonstrate a reduction in the prevalence of pressure ulcers as well as significant savings being made, despite an initial financial outlay. The radical move from alternating pressure technology to fluid-filled static technology has been a success: will the same apply to primary care?