Education and process change to improve skin health in a residential aged care facility

We report on an intervention and evaluation in relation to changes in staff knowledge, time spent on healing and wound prevention and proportion of wounds in the facilities before and after. A rapid review of recent peer-reviewed literature (2006-2016) found 14 education-based intervention articles and provided the background and context for this intervention. A cohort of 164 nurses and personal care workers and 261 residents at two aged care-approved facilities contributed to this intervention on the effect of education, mentoring and practice change on staff knowledge and wound prevalence between 2015 and 2016. There was a significant decrease in pressure injury prevalence and an increase in the early identification of potential wounds between phase 1 and 3 across the two facilities. Overall, registered nurses and enrolled nurses showed significant increase in mean knowledge scores. There was a reorganisation of time spent on various wound care and prevention strategies that better represented education and knowledge. Wound management or prevention education alone is not enough; this study, using an educational intervention in conjunction with resident engagement, practice change, mentorship, onsite champions for healthy skin and product choice suggestions, supported by an organisation that focuses on a healthy ageing approach, showed improvement across two residential sites.