Self-Turning for Pressure Injury Prevention

Publication date: Available online 23 February 2016 Source:Wound Medicine Author(s): Harriet M. Gammon, Cherie B. Shelton, Christine Siegert, Creista Dawson, Emily Sexton, Charlotte Burmeister, Gwen Gnam, Aamir Siddiqui The study objective was to determine if hospitalized patients who are designated as self-turn will reposition themselves appropriately in the acute care setting. This was a prospective case series in a general practice unit of an 800-bed urban tertiary care hospital. Patients were instructed on the importance of mobility for pressure ulcer prevention and subsequently monitored on a continuous bedside pressure mapping device. Primary outcomes included intervals of inactivity and pressure ulcer incidence. During the 3-month study interval, only 2 patients had a documented 4-hour interval without measurable repositioning. None of the 101 consecutive patients enrolled in the study developed pressure ulcers. General practice unit patients that are given proper instruction and designated as self-turn can reliably be considered low-risk for hospital acquired pressure ulcers. Based on our prospective study, patients designated as self-turn do reposition themselves.

Source: Wound Medicine - February 25, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Source Type: research