Prevention and management of pressure ulcers: support surfaces

Pressure ulcers are a common and debilitating problem in health care, impacting negatively on health-related quality of life and compounding challenges in achieving patient safety targets. Pressure ulcer prevention is a multidisciplinary team effort, involving a myriad of interventions, such as nutrition, skin care and repositioning. This article discusses the factors influencing pressure ulcer development, and then elaborates on the principles of prevention. This is followed by a focused discussion on the use of redistribution devices and the importance of the cover of such equipment in contributing to achieving good standards in prevention.