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Improving pressure ulcer risk identification: a pilot project by ambulance staff

Maines, Jacqueline, Graham, Yitka and Hayes, Catherine (2020) Improving pressure ulcer risk identification: a pilot project by ambulance staff. Journal of Paramedic Practice. ISSN 1759-1376

Item Type: Article

Abstract

Background: A quality improvement initiative was designed to identify patients at risk of compromised tissue viability before they were admitted to hospital. Paramedics were educated to better identify patients with pressure ulcers or pressure damage, or those at risk of compromised tissue viability, and these patients were fitted with a pressure ulcer alert bracelet so that emergency department staff could identify them.
Aims: The aims of the current initiative were to educate paramedics to better identify patients with pressure ulcers or those at risk of compromised tissue viability to emergency department staff, and fit them with a pressure ulcer alert bracelet to highlight them to emergency department staff so they would receive prompt intervention.
Methods: A plan, do, study, act improvement methodology was used, and data from a 3-month period were retrospectively analysed. Patients identified as being at risk of compromised tissue viability were flagged as requiring assessment via a pressure ulcer risk assessment tool to enable prevention.
Results: Paramedics identified 130 at-risk patients (aged 23–100 years), and data from 127 patients were analysed. Most at-risk patients fitted with pressure ulcer alert bracelets were aged 70 years or over, and there was an even female/male division. More than half (53%) of patients were found to have a pressure ulcer and alerted to emergency department staff. More than one in four (27%) patients who were identified as being at risk of pressure ulcers lived in nursing or residential homes, and 43% lived alone or in warden-controlled accommodation. Conclusions: Paramedics effectively identified potential risk factors for pressure ulcer development, indicating a need for immediate intervention. This study gives insight into how pressure ulcer risk assessment using an alert bracelet may be used in paramedic practice in emergency department handovers. Success depends on hospital staff acting upon paramedic recommendation.

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More Information

Depositing User: Catherine Hayes

Identifiers

Item ID: 11250
Identification Number: https://doi.org/10.12968/jpar.2020.12.2.59
ISSN: 1759-1376
URI: http://sure.sunderland.ac.uk/id/eprint/11250
Official URL: https://www.magonlinelibrary.com/doi/full/10.12968...

Users with ORCIDS

ORCID for Yitka Graham: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-6206-1461
ORCID for Catherine Hayes: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-3870-2668

Catalogue record

Date Deposited: 23 Oct 2019 10:43
Last Modified: 16 Dec 2020 10:15

Contributors

Author: Yitka Graham ORCID iD
Author: Catherine Hayes ORCID iD
Author: Jacqueline Maines

University Divisions

Faculty of Health Sciences and Wellbeing
Faculty of Health Sciences and Wellbeing > School of Nursing and Health Sciences

Subjects

Sciences > Health Sciences
Sciences > Nursing

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