An interventional skin care protocol (InSPiRE) to reduce incontinence-associated dermatitis in critically ill patients in the intensive care unit: A before and after study

Critically ill patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) are a unique, vulnerable population at high risk of skin damage. The nature of the critical illness necessitating admission to the ICU often dictates that patients are mechanically ventilated, managed with sedative and opiate infusions, receive multiple antimicrobial therapy and are enterally fed. These factors all contribute to faecal incontinence and diarrhoea (Jack et al., 2010). Incontinence, specifically faecal incontinence in critically ill patients, is a significant and direct causal factor for the development of a hospital-acquired skin injury; incontinence-associated dermatitis (IAD) (Beeckman et al., 2015).

Source: Intensive and Critical Care Nursing - February 7, 2017 Category: Nursing Authors: Fiona Coyer, Anne Gardner, Anna Doubrovsky Source Type: research