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Taking Pressure Ulcer Incidence to Zero
Aletha W. Tippett, M.D.
Prevalence of pressure ulcers in the nursing home population has been variously reported from 10-25% with yearly incidence of approximately 11%. With nearly two million nursing home residents, this is a problem of tragic proportions. Pressure ulcers are a current focus of Healthy People 2010 directives with the goal to reduce the prevalence by half. According to the NPUAP, there is no consensus concerning best practices for prevention. This project reports the efforts and results of one nursing home that embarked on a dedicated program to solve their problem of wounds.
Results
Incidence of acquired pressure ulcers was reduced from 5-11%/month to 0% in 4 months. The incidence rate was maintained at 0-1%/month for 8 months, with only 4 wounds acquired — two Stage I and two Stage II. This represents > 96% reduction in overall incidence.
Conclusion
A zero incidence of pressure ulcers can be achieved and maintained by changing the culture in an institution, and by adopting evidence-based preventive measures.
Download the entire study in PDF format.
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