1. Pressure Ulcers
Tamika johnson
April 18, 2013

2. Pressure ulcers An injury to the skin and underlying tissue
Range from mild reddening to severe tissue damage
Four stages of pressure ulcers: Stage I, Stage II, Stage III, Stage IV, Unstageable

3. Pressure Ulcer statistics
26% hospitalized patients, 39% spinal cord injuries, 43% nursing home, 50% pediatrics

4. Pressure Ulcer statistics continued
Estimated cost of hospital acquired pressure ulcers range between $1119-$70,000 depending on the stage and ensuing length of stay
Estimated cost of a stage IV hospital acquired pressure ulcer $129,248
Estimated 60,000 deaths a year related to hospital acquired pressure ulcers

5. Prevalence study

6. Established tools
Braden Q Scale Cushion and Protect

7. Issues on unit Breakdown in communication
Noncompliance due to product availability

8. Plan of action
Spoke to various nurses
Met with Director of Nursing Safety and Patient Satisfaction
Assessed unit inventory
Reviewed protect and cushion resource manual
Made list of materials needed
Conference call with Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania
Met with Director of Nursing Safety and Patient Satisfaction and the Director of Central Supplies
Rearranged and restocked pyxis machines with central supply technician

9. Goals
Nurses in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit will have resources and materials readily available to help in the prevention of pressure ulcers
The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit’s percentage of unit based pressure ulcers will fall below the national benchmark for two consecutive quarters

10. Objectives
Obtain proper padding and protection to aid in ulcer prevention
Attend in-services for new skin products
Demonstrate competency of the Braden Q Scale
Identify patients at risk for impaired skin integrity

11. rationale
Having a designated area for skin/wound products will help nurses identify proper materials needed to protect patient’s skin
Placing a barrier between skin and medical devices will decrease pressure ulcers
Applying extra padding to boney areas will decrease the pressure maintained on a specific area (ex: occiput)
Knowing how to apply the Braden Q scale will identify more at risk patients

12. Follow-up
Satisfaction Poll
Perform inventory

13. Conclusion

14. references
Brem, H., Maggi, J., Nierman, D., Rolnitzky, L., Bell, D., Rennert, R., Golinko, M., Yan, A., Lyder, C., & Vladeck, B. (2010). High cost of stage IV pressure ulcers. American Journal of Surgery. 200(4) : doi: /j.amjsurg Pressure ulcers. (2013). Retrieved on March 13, 2013 from Pressure ulcers. (2013). Retrieved on March 13, 2013 from treatments/four-stages-of-pressure-sores Pressure ulcers. (2013). Retrieved on April 17, 2013 from Schober-Flores, C. (2012). Pressure ulcers in the pediatric population. Journal of the Dermatology Nurses Association. 4(5):