A critical care network pressure ulcer prevention quality improvement project

Area of Science:

• Nursing Quality Improvement
• Patient Safety in Critical Care
• Hospital-Acquired Conditions Prevention

Background:

• Pressure ulcers are a significant patient safety concern, particularly for critically ill patients, leading to increased healthcare costs and prolonged recovery.
• Effective prevention strategies are crucial to mitigate the adverse effects of pressure ulcers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a critical care network focused on pressure ulcer prevention.
• To benchmark current prevention practices and measure prevalence across critical care units.
• To develop standardized pressure ulcer prevention guidelines for a regional network.

Main Methods:

• A cross-organizational pressure ulcer prevention group was formed with strong nursing leadership.
• The National Safety Thermometer tool was utilized to measure pressure ulcer prevalence in 23 critical care units.
• Evidence-based practices, local consensus, and existing network interventions informed the development of new prevention standards.

Main Results:

• The project successfully met its aims, demonstrating effective leadership and collaboration.
• The National Safety Thermometer provided an innovative method for regional pressure ulcer prevalence benchmarking.
• A key limitation identified was the exclusion of moisture lesions from the prevalence measurement.

Conclusions:

• The initiative fostered excellent engagement and collaborative work among critical care nurses in the North of England.
• A standardized set of network guidelines was created to complement local protocols for improved pressure ulcer prevention.