Pressure sore prevention and treatment: an example of nurses' failure to implement research findings

For more than 20 years pressure sore prevention and the treatment of established pressure sores have continued to generate research by nurses and those in allied disciplines. Pressure sore aetiology is established and much is known about the healing of chronic wounds, but little impact has been made on clinical nursing practice. The failure of nurses to implement research findings in this sphere is examined according to the framework suggested by Hunt (1981). One of the main reasons may be the failure of nurse educationalists to incorporate relevant material into basic and post-basic teaching programmes.