Protocols and documentation in prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers: the situation in Andalusia (Spain)
Pancorbo Hidalgo P.L., García Fernández F.P., López Medina I.Mª., López Ortega J.

SUMMARY

Objectives: a) To determine the degree of use in the nursing clinical practice of protocols for the prevention and the treatment of pressure ulcers (PU), and the risk assessment scales. b) To determine the degree of use of specific records to document the care.

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 (answer rate = 65,9%). Most (71,4%) of the hospital units recorded some epidemiological index, while only 36.4 % of the nursing homes made it. The use of prevention and treatment protocols is low among the primary care centres, and something higher in the hospitals and nursing homes. Riskassessment scales were poorly used, since they were used in 28,6% of the primary care centres, 50% of the hospital units and 45,5% of the nursing homes. The Norton scale is mostly used. A wide majority (90,9%) of nursing homes used specific records to document cares, while only 39.3% of the hospital units used it.

KEY WORDS

Pressure ulcers, clinical practice, risk assessment scale, protocols, documentation.

Vol. 16 nº4-2005