Knowledge Box

Best Practices for Preventing Hospital-Acquired Pressure Ulcers

HSB 3rd Floor Student Commons

Hospital-acquired pressure ulcers are recurring complications of hospitalized patients. Research indicates that pressure ulcers lead to more costly care and an increased length of stay for patients. Many hospitals implement protocols to help prevent the formation of pressure ulcers. The purpose of this literature review was to determine if any one intervention had proven more successful in preventing these ulcers when compared to others. We reviewed articles in Galileo, Ebsco, and CINAHL, which indicated that pressure reduction mattresses are an effective means of decreasing hospital-acquired pressure ulcers for patients in intensive care units. Findings support the conclusion that exchanging the regular mattresses in hospital rooms for specialized mattresses can displace pressure on certain parts of the body to reduce the incidence of patients developing sores. Using pressure mattresses along with proper nutrition and education in the hospital setting can reduce the amount of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers.