Preventing pressure ulcers in emergency departments: four simple and effective nurse-led changes

Abstract

Patients can develop pressure ulcers within a few hours of entering an emergency department (ED). However, despite the critical role of EDs in reducing the incidence of pressure ulcers, few have protocols in place for prevention. This article describes the prevention emergency project (PEP), a quality improvement project undertaken in the ED at Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden to reduce the incidence of pressure ulcers. The article demonstrates how four simple nurse-led changes - early risk assessment, pressure-relieving equipment, intentional rounding, and using prophylactic dressings and incontinence pads - can reduce the incidence of pressure ulcers significantly when integrated into ED workflow.

Keywords: accident and emergency; clinical; dressings; equipment; pressure area care; pressure ulcers; skin; skin assessment; wound care.