Installing electrically operated beds

A pressure ulcer can be defined as a skin wound which occurs following disruption to the blood supply due to pressure, shearing and/or friction (Dealey, 1997). The grading of pressure ulcers ranges from grade 1 (skin intact, but redness present, blistering, non-blanching hyperaemia) to grade 4 (full thickness skin loss with extensive destruction, necrosis and damage of muscle, bone and supporting structures). The higher an ulcer's grade, the more severe are the implications for treatment, financial costs and impact on patient recovery.