Worldwide Pressure Injury Prevention & Awareness Day - 2019

Ready, Set, Go! Worldwide Pressure Injury Prevention & Awareness Day - Thursday, November 21, 2019

AMT is proud to support the National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel for its leading-edge efforts towards prevention and management of pressure injuries. In 2013, The National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel (NPIAP) formerly, the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP) designated the third Thursday of every November to internationally celebrate and promote education.

What Is Pressure Injury
A pressure injury is localized damage to the skin and underlying soft tissue usually over a bony prominence or related to a medical or other device. The injury can present as intact skin or an open ulcer and may be painful. The injury occurs as a result of intense and/or prolonged pressure or pressure in combination with shear. The tolerance of soft tissue for pressure and shear may also be affected by microclimate, nutrition, perfusion, co-morbidities and condition of the soft tissue. The full list of NPIAP pressure injury definition stages can be found here.

What We Know
Promoting a “prevention mindset” for you staff is key in preventing pressure injuries and reducing the financial burden caused by pressure injuries.  The goal is to keep the Resident moving as much as possible increasing blood flow, while reducing shearing and friction forces. Consistent, good skin care is just as important.  Keeping the skin clean, dry, and moisturized, while managing the microclimate will promote quality skin care management. The pressure injury prevention list can be found here.

Remove the Cause
Pressure Injuries can develop at any age, but more commonly it is the senior population that uses wheelchairs, is bedbound and wears medical devices and who, are therefore at highest risk. If a pressure injury does develop, you first want to identify the cause while using a holistic approach. You will want to investigate the cause from every angle. Until the cause of the pressure injury is removed, the pressure injury will not heal. Encourage your nursing staff to focus more on a prevention mindset while encompassing ongoing education.

• How often is the Resident in bed or chair?
• Is your Resident positioned in their wheelchair correctly? 
• Does your Resident favor one side more than the other while in bed?   
• Is your Resident on the appropriate wheelchair cushion? Does the cushion need to be replaced?  
• Has your Resident lost weight recently?  Appetite status?
• Are all medical devices such as air mattresses working appropriately?
• Is the pressure injury only caused by pressure? Is moisture involved? Friction? Shearing? 

Team Work 
AMT offers many educational offerings throughout the year and on demand, but Worldwide Pressure Injury Prevention & Awareness Day is an extra opportunity for AMT to support you and your nursing staff.  Ongoing education not only helps bolster quality of care but promotes team work.  AMT is part of your team!  We encourage you to reach out to your designated Clinical Specialist for any educational or clinical support needs. 

There is an array of FREE educational materials such as posters, fact sheets, and brochures available to download and print on The National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel’s website.  These educational tools will help your facility promote and celebrate Worldwide Pressure Injury Prevention & Awareness Day.  These tools can be downloaded here.

• References: National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel (NPIAP)
• Author: Cheryl Carver, LPN, WCC, CWCA, FACCWS, DAPWCA
• Author Bio: Cheryl Carver works as a Clinical Wound Specialist for American Medical Technologies in the San Francisco Bay area. Her experience includes over 20 years in wound care and hyperbaric medicine. Cheryl has received many high reviews as a nationally recognized wound educator and has been invited to speak to interdisciplinary audiences all over the world. Cheryl single-handedly developed a comprehensive educational training manual for on-boarding wound care physicians, as well as many other published white papers and articles. She was the first LPN to be accepted into the Association for the Advancement of Wound Care (AAWC) Speakers Bureau. Cheryl is also an active AAWC member and Ambassador, Diplomat (DAPWCA) with the American Professional Wound Care Association, and Fellow (FACCWS) of The American College of Clinical Wound Specialists. Cheryl enjoys traveling, writing, and is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Science degree in Communications with an emphasis on Journalism.
• Download the event graphic,  STOP - PRESSURE INJURIES - Be Our Partner In Prevention