Quality improvement program to reduce the prevalence of pressure ulcers in an intensive care unit

Elliott, R; McKinley, S; Fox, V

Quality improvement program to reduce the prevalence of pressure ulcers in an intensive care unit

Elliott, R

McKinley, S Fox, V

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: American Journal of Critical Care, 2008, 17 (4), pp. 328 - 334
Issue Date:: 2008-12-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Elliott, R https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9239-7126	en_US
dc.contributor.author	McKinley, S	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Fox, V	en_US
dc.date.issued	2008-12-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	American Journal of Critical Care, 2008, 17 (4), pp. 328 - 334	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	1062-3264	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/12851
dc.description.abstract	Background: Critically ill patients are at increased risk for pressure ulcers, which increase patients' morbidity and mortality. Quality improvement projects decrease the frequency of pressure ulcers. Objectives: To improve patients' outcomes by reducing the prevalence of pressure ulcers, identifying areas for improvement in prevention of pressure ulcers, and increasing the adoption of preventive strategies in an intensive care unit. Method: Quasi-experimental methods were used for this quality improvement project in which 563 surveys of patients' skin were performed during 22 audits conducted during a 26-month period. One-on-one clinical instruction was provided to bedside nurses during the surveys, and pressure ulcer data were displayed in the clinical area. Results: The frequency of pressure ulcers of all stages showed an overall downward trend, and the prevalence decreased from 50% to 8%. The appropriate allocation of pressure-relieving devices increased from 75% up to 95% to 100%. The likely origin of the ulcer (ie, whether it was hospital or community acquired) and the anatomical site of the pressure ulcers did not change during the study period. Conclusions: This program was successful in reducing the prevalence of pressure ulcers among vulnerable intensive care patients and indicates that quality improvement is a highly effective formula for improving patients' outcomes that is easily implemented by using clinical expertise and existing resources. © 2008 American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	American Journal of Critical Care	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Nursing	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Humans	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Treatment Outcome	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Risk Factors	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Equipment and Supplies	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Adult	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Aged	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Aged, 80 and over	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Middle Aged	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Nursing Staff, Hospital	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Intensive Care Units	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Quality Assurance, Health Care	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Pressure Ulcer	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Female	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Male	en_US
dc.title	Quality improvement program to reduce the prevalence of pressure ulcers in an intensive care unit	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	4	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	17	en_US
utslib.for	1110 Nursing	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.issue	4	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	17	en_US

Abstract:

Background: Critically ill patients are at increased risk for pressure ulcers, which increase patients' morbidity and mortality. Quality improvement projects decrease the frequency of pressure ulcers. Objectives: To improve patients' outcomes by reducing the prevalence of pressure ulcers, identifying areas for improvement in prevention of pressure ulcers, and increasing the adoption of preventive strategies in an intensive care unit. Method: Quasi-experimental methods were used for this quality improvement project in which 563 surveys of patients' skin were performed during 22 audits conducted during a 26-month period. One-on-one clinical instruction was provided to bedside nurses during the surveys, and pressure ulcer data were displayed in the clinical area. Results: The frequency of pressure ulcers of all stages showed an overall downward trend, and the prevalence decreased from 50% to 8%. The appropriate allocation of pressure-relieving devices increased from 75% up to 95% to 100%. The likely origin of the ulcer (ie, whether it was hospital or community acquired) and the anatomical site of the pressure ulcers did not change during the study period. Conclusions: This program was successful in reducing the prevalence of pressure ulcers among vulnerable intensive care patients and indicates that quality improvement is a highly effective formula for improving patients' outcomes that is easily implemented by using clinical expertise and existing resources. © 2008 American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/12851