Hopper Mary B, Morgan Sue
Mary B. Hopper, BSN, RN, CWON, Huntsville Hospital, Huntsville, Alabama. Sue Morgan, PhD, RN, CNS, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Medical Service Line, Huntsville Hospital, Huntsville, Alabama.
J Wound Ostomy Continence Nurs. 2014 Mar-Apr;41(2):178-80. doi: 10.1097/WON.0000000000000013.
Hospital-acquired pressure ulcers can extend a patient's length of stay, decrease health-related quality of life, and increase the risk of mortality and cost of patient care.
Although risk assessment and pressure ulcer prevention efforts had been in place for many years, our facility continued to be more than national averages and we identified a need for extensive education and consistency throughout the organization in order to reduce hospital-acquired pressure ulcer occurrences.
The continuous quality improvement initiative implemented by Huntsville Hospital created a clinical culture of pressure ulcer prevention, resulting in improved patient outcomes and cost savings.
