Global experts seeking to reduce the risk of medical device-related pressure injuries and influence the design of new prevention technologies will issue their first consensus document this fall.
The guidelines will look at device use among older people with fragile skin, according to an editorial published recently in the Journal of Wound Care.
“The design of many of the most commonly used medical devices, such as urinary catheters, oxygen masks or cervical collars, has changed little,” wrote Amit Gefen, Ph.D., vascular bioengineering chair at Tel Aviv University. “This consensus document will form, for the first time, a complete and coherent source of evidence-based critical review and guidance on the aetiology, assessment, prevention and management of MDRPUs.”
Gefen told McKnight’s he expects publication in November. Topics will include plans for prevention aimed at general practitioners and specialists; a study of how damage is inflicted at the cellular level; what technologies might protect skin and deeper tissues from pressure; assessment strategies; and treatment tools.
The guide also seeks to increase awareness of the importance of assessment.
From the August 2019 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
