Pressure injury prevention success in a regional hospital.

BACKGROUND

This paper describes quality improvement strategies implemented following the identification of a significantly high prevalence rate and severity of pressure injuries in a regional health care facility in a large health district in Queensland, Australia.

AIM

The aim of this paper is to inform health professionals of processes employed to reduce the incidence and financial burden of pressure injuries following the detection of rates that were significantly above the State average.

METHOD

An audit of pressure injury prevalence data was conducted on a single day throughout a regional hospital. Prevalence data was compared to State averages and hospital strategies used to prevent injuries were examined.

FINDINGS

Audit reports for this acute setting revealed that despite best practice guidelines, prevalence was a major concern. Lack of accountability, poor documentation, limited education and knowledge of risk assessment and prevention were central to the need to implement quality improvement processes.

CONCLUSION

This paper outlines the results associated with implementing quality measures to reduce the prevalence of pressure injuries. Following an audit of pressure injury prevalence data, strategies were implemented to reduce noteworthy rates. Employing specific techniques can result in significantly decreasing hospital acquired pressure injuries in health care settings throughout the world.