The application of collaborative benchmarking to the prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers

In the spring of 1995, 42 hospitals participated in a collaborative benchmarking study on the prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers. The study resulted in the discovery of 54 best practices that, taken together, provide a blueprint for successful actions and processes that can easily be adapted to individual institutional needs. An important finding of this benchmarking study showed that the four hospitals with lowest risk-adjusted, hospital-acquired prevalence rates were the same four hospitals identified as benchmarks in at least four other critical-success factors. During the study, representatives were exposed not only to the practices of care delivered at other hospitals, but also to the rationale, limitations, and success of those practices. This understanding, coupled with the best practices, has helped representatives improve their facilities' pressure ulcer programs.