Pressure ulcer prevention in the emergency department

Emergency nurses rescue patients from emergencies everyday through expert prioritization in a rapidly changing environment. After stabilization, the emergency nurse can focus attention on other risk factors that predispose the patient to unnecessary health care events. The demographics of patients visiting the emergency department have changed over the past 5 years, and the length of time spent in an emergency department has increased. A pressure ulcer can develop in several hours, depending upon risk factors and use of pressure ulcer prevention activities. The emergency nurse holds a key position in pressure ulcer prevention. However, the emergency nurse's role in preventing the development of a pressure ulcer warrants further delineation. This focused literature review intends to summarize and analyze pressure ulcer research pertinent to the emergency nurse as a starting point for developing emergency nurse pressure ulcer prevention guidelines.