Are Pressure Sores Really That Hard To Prevent? Study Demonstrates Some Nursing Homes Are Successfully Reducing Rate Of Pressure Sores At Their Facilities.
If you've been listening to some folks in the nursing home industry, you may be under the impression that the development of pressure sores in a long-term care setting may be inevitable.
Despite the fact that the medical community has been repeatedly telling us that pressure sores can be prevented with:
- Regular turning of patient
- Ensuring adequate hydration and nutrition
- Changing soiled patients in a timely manner
- Implementing the use of pressure relieving mattresses and devices
Some in the long-term care industry claim the the above precautions are not only unfeasible--- but also somewhat unnecessary as the development of pressure sores in some patients may be inevitable.
Well, a new report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), may go a long way towards disproving the myth of pressure sore inevitability. In comparing nursing home data from 2000 through 2008, the rate of pressure sores in nursing home patients has been cut substantially.
The study notes the following pressure sore reduction rates:
- Short-term nursing home patients saw reduction in rates of pressure sore development from 22.6% to 18.9%
- Long-term nursing home patients saw rates of pressure sores decline from 13.9% to 11.7%
Certainly is is good news for all nursing home patients as it appears that many nursing homes are indeed getting the message that the development of pressure sores in inexcusable given the widely-accepted preventative measures.
Related:
Are the development of bed sores at a nursing home considered to be a form of nursing home abuse?
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