Pressure Ulcer Healing and Prevention Tips
Everyone has heard of the term “bedsore”. Medical care experts refer to bedsores and decubitus ulcers as pressure ulcers. Pressure ulcer prevention and treatment continue to be huge issues in hospitals and nursing homes. Many people are aware of the danger of pressure ulcer development in nursing homes but are not as aware that this is a major concern for patients in hospitals, particularly if they are immobile. McMath Woods has handled numerous pressure ulcer/bedsore cases, including one against an Arkansas hospital resulting in a jury verdict of 1.5 million dollars.
Hospital pressure ulcer cases are unique as staffing and reporting requirements can differ from nursing home cases. As our population is aging and life expectancy is increasing, longer acute care hospital stays seem to be occurring. These longer acute care hospital stays increase the risk of pressure ulcers. Pressure ulcers have been defined by the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP) in conjunction with the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (EPUAP) as localized injury to the skin and/or underlying tissue usually over a bony prominence, as a result of pressure, or pressure in combination with shear.