Prevention of pressure ulcers: does the hospital have rules or protocols for prevention of pressure ulcers?

This measure is used to determine whether or not the hospital has rules or protocols for prevention of pressure ulcers.

All patients are at the risk of developing pressure ulcers when seriously ill, immobile for a prolonged period or unable to respond to pressure discomforts. However, prevention is the key to reducing the prevalence of pressure ulcers. Appropriate prevention methods are known and widely available, although substantially underused.

The existence of a protocol in this respect reflects the hospital's endeavors to reduce the incidence of pressure ulcers.

Pressure ulcers: guidelines/risks for prevention

This measure applies to hospitals (one hospital at a time).

The hospital has rules or protocols for prevention of pressure ulcers (see the related "Numerator Inclusions/Exclusions" field).

25% of hospitals do not have explicit rules or protocols to prevent pressure ulcers.

After pilot testing, the set of indicators has been measured in a random sample of 25 Spanish hospitals, stratified by hospital size. The main objective has been to field test the feasibility of measurement in the various settings representing real life situations in the context of the Spanish Health Care System.

Both the whole indicators validation report and the results of the baseline measurement in a sample of the Spanish National Health Service (NHS) hospitals may be accessed and downloaded from the Spanish Ministry of Health web page (in Spanish):

• Validation report 
• Results of baseline measurement in Spanish NHS hospitals 

Does not apply to this measure

Does not apply to this measure

Inclusions
This measure applies to hospitals (one hospital at a time).

Exclusions
None

Inclusions
The hospital has rules or protocols for prevention of pressure ulcers.

Request copy of document and assess whether or not protocol includes:

• Assessment scale
• Frequency of assessment
• Reassessment
• Mobility care
• Nutrition care

Exclusions
None

None

Prevention of pressure ulcers: existence of guidelines or protocol approved by hospital on measures to be taken for prevention of pressure ulcers.

Agency for Quality, Spanish Ministry of Health

Saturno, Pedro J., MD, DrPH; Group Director and Project PI

Castillo, Carmen; López, M. José; Ramón, Teresa; Nurses

Carrillo, Andrés, MD; Intensive Care Specialist

Iranzo, M. Dolores; Hospital pharmacist

Soria, Victor, MD; Surgeon

Parra, Pedro, MD; Gomis, Rafael, MD; Gascón, Juan J., MD; Quality Management Specialists

Project entirely financed by the Spanish Ministry of Health.

This measure was not adapted from another source.

Unspecified

Unspecified

This is the current release of the measure.

The measure developer reaffirmed the currency of this measure in April 2016.

Source not available electronically.

For more information, contact:

• Ministry of Health and Social Policy, at Paseo del Prado, 18-20, planta baja, esquina con Lope de Vega. 28014 Madrid; Phone: +34 901 400 100; Fax: +34 915 96 44 80; Web site: www.msc.es/en/home.htm .

  OR

• Pedro J. Saturno, Facultad de Medicina, at Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Espinardo-Murcia (Spain); Phone: 868 883 948; Fax: +34 868 883947; E-mail: psaturno@um.es.

The following are available:

• Ministerio de Sanidad y Consumo. Construccion y validacion de indicadores de buenas practicas sobre seguridad del paciente. Madrid: Ministerio de Sanidad y Consumo; 2008. 178 p. This document is available in Portable Document Format (PDF) from the Ministry of Health and Social Policy Web site  (in Spanish).
• Ministerio de Sanidad y Consumo. Indicadores de buenas practicas sobre seguridad del paciente. Resultados de su medicion en una muestra de hospitales del sistema nacional de salud Español. Madrid: Ministerio de Sanidad y Consumo; 2008. 95 p. This document is available in PDF from the Ministry of Health and Social Policy Web site  (in Spanish).

This NQMC summary was completed by ECRI Institute on August 21, 2009. The information was verified by the measure developer on October 16, 2009.

This NQMC summary was retrofitted into the new template on July 27, 2011.

The information was reaffirmed by the measure developer on April 4, 2016.

No copyright restrictions apply.