This month,
HIIN The Know
focuses on Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries (HAPIs). According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), more than 2.5 million patients in U.S. acute care facilities develop a HAPI and more than 60,000 die from associated complications.
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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) estimated in 2007 that each pressure injury added more than $43,000 in costs to a hospital stay.
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HAPIs continue to be a significant problem in hospitals across the nation, especially for critically ill patients older than age 70. In addition, the number of pressure injuries related to medical devices now account for more than 30 percent of all HAPIs.
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Integral to the prevention of pressure injuries is working across the continuum of care and with patients and families. Partnering with patients and families in their care improves reliability to treatment plans, speeds healing, and prevents worsening of HAPIs. Education is critical for patients and families to understand how pressure injuries form and the relationship between nutritional status, mobility, pressure/shearing, and skin care moisture control for HAPI prevention.
Through your partnership with HSAG HIIN, you can better ensure best practices and strategies are implemented to support HAPI reduction.
HSAG HIIN recommends the following practices:
- Perform a standardized skin and risk assessment at the time of admission and during the hospital stay for all patients.
- Develop an early mobility protocol and a nutritional support plan.
- Provide proper skin care and moisture management.
- Minimize pressure, shear, and friction by repositioning the patient every one to two hours.
- Off-load skin and tissue pressure in the emergency department and operating room.
The third edition of the International Prevention and Treatment of Pressure Ulcers/Injuries Clinical Practice Guideline is available for review at
http://internationalguideline.com/
. A new edition is expected to be published in November 2019.
References:
- AHRQ. Preventing Pressure Ulcers in Hospitals. A Toolkit for Improving Quality of Care. Available at: https://www.ahrq.gov/sites/default/files/publications/files/putoolkit.pdf. Accessed on: July 3, 2019.
- The Joint Commission. Safety actions to consider for patients who suffer from debilitating pressure injuries. July 24, 2018. Available at: https://www.jointcommission.org/new_joint_commission_advisory_on_pressure_injuries_related_to_medical_devices/. Accessed on: July 3, 2019.
