Pressure ulcer prevention: the role of the multidisciplinary team

Pressure ulcer prevention has long been a priority for health professionals; however, poor pressure-ulcer-related practices like poor documentation continue to be identified. Research has shown that the attitude and behaviour of some nurses towards pressure ulcer prevention are not conducive to the best possible patient outcomes.This article reviews the findings of a Straussian grounded theory study, which sought to ascertain the value that is placed on pressure ulcer prevention by nurses, but also revealed the role that other health professionals in the multidisciplinary team play in the maintenance of skin integrity. The findings of this study which are presented in this paper highlight a number of important issues. Firstly, nurses are expected to know how to prevent and manage pressure ulcers, but in reality they are very reliant on the advice and support of other health professionals to maintain their patients' skin integrity. In addition,the level of support that nurses get from other health professionals in the multidisciplinary varies tremendously. Therefore, nurses in clinical practice need to be proactive in seeking input from other health professionals, as there are many members of the multidisciplinary team who are able to give them the advice and support that they need in prevention and management.