Stop them at the door: should a pressure ulcer prevention protocol be implemented in the emergency department?

The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine the feasibility of implementing a Pressure Ulcer Prevention Protocol in the emergency department (ED).

Using data abstraction, a descriptive analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between ED length of stay and hospital-acquired pressure ulcers for those patients who were directly admitted to the hospital from the ED.

During 2006, 32,664 patients sought medical attention through the ED. Seventy-five percent of the total patient population admitted was admitted from the ED. One hundred twenty-five of those patients developed hospital-acquired pressure ulcers, 99.2% of which had an ED length of stay greater than 2 hours prior to hospital admission.

Findings of this study suggest early nursing interventions are needed to prevent hospital-acquired pressure ulcers.