Pressure sore survey: Part One

Prevalence and equipment surveys were performed annually in the first of a three-part survey investigating the prevalence of pressure sores in an NHS trust, and the effect of staff knowledge and attitudes. The study was undertaken in an integrated trust with acute and community services. The surveys investigated prevalence of pressure sores and availability of equipment, and identified characteristics of the patient population for comparison with other studies. The results of the equipment survey indicated that there is enough suitable pressure-reducing apparatus to treat those patients with existing severe and superficial sores and more than enough to provide preventive assistance to patients at medium and low risk. The results over the five year period studied suggest that the introduction of pressure sore incidence monitoring is helpful in focusing attention on the pressure sore problem.