17 Aug Pressure injuries cause significant tissue damage which may be caused by pressure, moisture, friction and shearing forces or a combination of them
Pressure injuries cause significant tissue damage which may be caused by pressure, moisture, friction and shearing forces or a combination of them. Pressure injuries are often called bedsores, pressure ulcers, or decubitus ulcers. Pressure injuries are diagnosed and present in different stages. There are many risk factors for developing pressure injuries during time spent in the hospital which include diabetes, problems with mobility, a decrease in perfusion of blood to specific areas, and declines in nutritional status (Kim et al., 2022).
Hospital acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) affect nearly 3 million patients a year and puts a huge burden on healthcare systems. The most severe stages of HAPIs increased the hospital stay and were associated with higher costs. According to Wessel et al. (2020), “The average incremental cost for HAPIs was $21,767” (p.1). The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Service (CMS) put HAPIs in a category of preventable adverse incidents most of the time. The hospitals were castigated for more severe stages on the HAPIs. In fact, there was a 1% reimbursement penalty from Medicare for those institutions who ranked the lowest for hospital acquired conditions (HACs) (Wassel, 2020).
Evidence-based programs aimed at preventing ulcers have been implemented in institutions. Several interventions were used including skin assessment upon admission and continuous, preventative risk assessment, staging of pressure injuries if present, use of preventative barriers on patients that are deemed high risk and creation of a wound care team (Mutair et el., 2021). These interventions proved to be very successful. The advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) can help in sustaining these programs thru education of institutional medical staff, the patients, and the families of the patients (Mutair et al., 2021).
