The prevalence of skin tears in the acute care setting in Singapore

Skin tears appear to be a hidden and extensive problem despite an increased focus in the literature on skin tear epidemiology, prevention strategies and management modalities. Currently, there has been no report of skin tear epidemiology published in Singapore. The aim of the present study was to pilot the methodology by WoundWest at one of the tertairy hospitals in Singapore. The secondary objective was to determine the prevalence and current nursing management of skin tears within two selected acute medical wards in the hospital. A point prevalence survey was conducted within the two medical wards. Six registered nurses acted as the surveyors and underwent pre-survey education. Inter-rater reliability testing was conducted. Surveyors were paired and performed skin examinations on all available patients in the two wards. Data were collected on age, gender, skin tear anatomical locations, their Skin Tear Audit Research categories, dressings used on identified skin tears and related documentation. A total of 144 (98%) patients consented to skin inspections. Findings demonstrated a skin tear prevalence of 6·2%; all skin tears were found to be hospital-acquired and located on the extremities. Most (78%) were in the age range of 70-89 years. There was a dearth in nursing documentation of the skin tears identified and their management. The findings suggested that nurses were lacking in the knowledge of skin tears, and documentation, if available, was not consistent. There is an urgent clinical need for the implementation of a validated skin tear classification tool; standardised protocols for skin tear prevention and management; and a comprehensive skin tear educational programme for hospital care staff. Quarterly hospital-wide skin tear prevalence surveys are also needed to evaluate improvement strategies.