A programme to reduce acquired pressure ulcers in care homes

Prevention of pressure ulcers is a major health concern, especially for older people. Much of the literature related to prevention of pressure ulcers focuses on hospital-acquired pressure ulcers. There is less literature related to prevention of pressure ulcers in care homes. This article presents a review of the literature related to prevention of pressure ulcers in care homes and an ambitious project undertaken by one care home provider to raise awareness of pressure ulcers, provide training in prevention and monitor and evaluate pressure ulcers in over 200 care home across the UK. Known as MI SKIN, the project involves ongoing training to all levels of care staff, a robust system of monitoring pressure ulcers and a mechanism to investigate and learn from any incident of pressure ulcer using root cause analysis.