Abstract

GARCIA FERNANDEZ, Francisco Pedro; PANCORBO HIDALGO, Pedro Luis; LOPEZ ORTEGA, Jesús  and  LOPEZ MEDINA, Isabel María. Resources for prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers: the situation in Andalusia (Spain). Gerokomos [online]. 2006, vol.17, n.1, pp.47-57. ISSN 1134-928X.

Objetives: To quantify the availability of material resources for pressure ulcers (PU) prevention and treatment in health care centres from Andalusia (Spain). Methods: Eleven hospitals, 36 primary care centres and 14 nursing homes were included by random stratified sampling. All the centres belonged to the public health or social services of Andalusia (Spain). A self-administered questionnaire was send out to nursing managers of the units or centres. The questionnaire has questions about epidemiological index, protocols, risk assessment scales, specific record use and materials and products for prevention and local treatment of PU. A descriptive analysis of the results was carried out. Results: Sixty valid questionnaires were obtained (response rate was 65,9%). A 100% of the nursing homes, a 96,4% of the hospital units and a 9,5% of the primary care centres have some unit of pressure-relief surfaces (PRS). Nursing homes are the best equipped centres (with static and dynamic PRS, and also for bed and chair); in hospital units the equipment is very variable between hospitals; while primary care centres lack this devices. The most usual PRS are static mattresses and overlays and air overlays. Products for local prevention most commonly used are: moisturizing milks and hyper-oxygenated fatty acids; although some centres are still using iodine povidone for this purpose. On the matter of PU treatment, the nurse who care the patient mostly decides the product to use. For cleaning the ulcer almost all the centres have the saline solution, however an important number of centres consider also several antiseptics as PU cleaning products. The number of dressings and products available is higher in nursing homes (8 products as average) than in hospitals (4 products as average). Products and dressing available in most centres are: hydrocolloids, hydrogels, topical antibiotics, healing cream and enzymatic cream. Conclusions: The availability of prevention resources, such as PRS, is good in nursing homes, but insufficient, in quantity and in kind of support surfaces, in many hospital units. Primary care centres have not this devices. Products for PU prevention and treatment available in hospitals and nursing homes fit in with guidelines current recommendations; nevertheless, antiseptics are still been used for PU prevention and cleaning in some few centres. All the centres have dressings for treatment of wounds in moist environment. The types of dressings first marketed are present in more centres. The range of dressings available in hospitals is small, whereas in nursing homes is wider.

Keywords : Pressure ulcer; clinical practice; pressure-relief surface; dressing; treatment.

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