thing again goes back to humans don ’ t like change . So it ’ s trying to reeducate the patient that their skin is at risk and yes , it may be a little bit uncomfortable at first , but it ’ s actually better for their skin in the long run . |
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QIf friction or shear is the primary etiology in the acute care setting , do you put primary etiology equals friction and / or shear and then put secondary etiology as pressure injury and stage it ? |
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QWe just switched from pillows to offloading wedges and my staff is burned out with new products . How do I get them engaged with the switch ? A First of all , change is hard for humans , and you ’ re really changing their workflow . They ’ re so used to going in and plumping up pillows or moving the patient or flipping things over or actually trying to find more pillows . And now they don ’ t have to do that . When you have a good wedge , you ’ re actually saving them some time . So try to convince them that their workflow is actually better than it was before because now they have more free time . Because you can really set it and forget it .
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A I know people hate committees , but this is really a multidisciplinary event . It ’ s not just the nursing staff . Sometimes you have to speak with the anesthesiologist and sometimes with the surgeon . You have to look at , are there certain cases that are giving you problems rather than just making a broad stroke ? Is it the way people are padding and positioning ? What devices can you place into that operative environment that won ’ t be a hazard ? Do you have a whole new set of education that you have to do ?
QDo you think there ’ s a benefit to using waffle mattress overlays on air suspension beds ? |
anything over it . And in fact we do know that the more chucks or pads or blankets or draw sheets that you put under the patient , there ’ s a decrease in efficacy with those support surfaces .
QHow do you encourage the use of offloading products when patients complain they just aren ’ t comfortable ? The first thing you would want to do is make sure the products are applied in the right way . But the other
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A I think that ’ s a really good way to approach how to document skin alterations in the acute care setting because you do have both friction and shear and then it ’ s the amount of pressure , some of which you cannot control . For example , people who have a lower extremity spasticity . So documenting what you see is the best way to a ) communicate to others who are caring for the patient , but b ) may be helpful should that case end up getting litigated .
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QWhat sort of things can we do in the perioperative environment to prevent pressure injuries ? |
A I haven ’ t seen anything in the literature to add one over the other , and it may actually defeat the purpose . All the data that comes from that air bed is based on not having |
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Issue 12 / 2023 13 |