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Purpose: To determine whether a Pressure Ulcer Quick Reference Guide can have a positive effect on Emergency Department nurses’ accuracy and regularity in staging and assessing pressure ulcers present on admission.
Objective: Emergency Department nurses are on the front line for pressure ulcer identification. If they lack the knowledge, time and tools to accurately complete a skin assessment, both the patient and hospital can be negatively impacted. With approximately 20% of our patients admitted emergently, inadequate assessment of Stage III and IV pressure ulcers present on admission could jeopardize the bottom-line. A Pressure Ulcer Quick Reference Guide was adapted to include a centimeter ruler, staging descriptions, measuring hints and topical treatment suggestions. Multiple copies of the guide in pad-like format were left at the nurses’ work stations in the Emergency Department. Swift identification and documentation of all pressure ulcers at the time of admission was the goal of this project.
Outcomes: The bedside emergency nurses feel that the accessibility of a tool is helpful to their practice and report that Mid-level providers also refer to this guide in the absence of an on-site WOC nurse. The nurses are empowered to remove dressings, document the stage of a pressure ulcer and suggest topical treatments. Patients receive evidence-based treatments for their pressure ulcers. The institution benefits from early identification and documentation of reimbursable ulcers and increased patient satisfaction
Objective: Emergency Department nurses are on the front line for pressure ulcer identification. If they lack the knowledge, time and tools to accurately complete a skin assessment, both the patient and hospital can be negatively impacted. With approximately 20% of our patients admitted emergently, inadequate assessment of Stage III and IV pressure ulcers present on admission could jeopardize the bottom-line. A Pressure Ulcer Quick Reference Guide was adapted to include a centimeter ruler, staging descriptions, measuring hints and topical treatment suggestions. Multiple copies of the guide in pad-like format were left at the nurses’ work stations in the Emergency Department. Swift identification and documentation of all pressure ulcers at the time of admission was the goal of this project.
Outcomes: The bedside emergency nurses feel that the accessibility of a tool is helpful to their practice and report that Mid-level providers also refer to this guide in the absence of an on-site WOC nurse. The nurses are empowered to remove dressings, document the stage of a pressure ulcer and suggest topical treatments. Patients receive evidence-based treatments for their pressure ulcers. The institution benefits from early identification and documentation of reimbursable ulcers and increased patient satisfaction