Nurses and members of the Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurse Society will gather at the Nebraska State Capitol for a proclamation signing ceremony on Wednesday at 10 a.m. This will proclaim November 18th as Worldwide Injury Prevention Day throughout Nebraska. This also will raise awareness that pressure injuries, or bed sores, are preventable and an important part of patient care.
Renee Paulin is president of Nebraska Affiliate of the Wound and tells KLIN News that pressure injuries, or bed sores, claim over 60,000 lives each year and costs the healthcare system over $11 billion annually. Every year, 2.5 million Americans get a pressure sore and over the last five years there has been a disturbing trend of more severe injuries. There has been a 17.64% increase between 2007 and 2012 in deaths and costs.
Paulin says the number of people suffering with pressure injuries increased during the pandemic as more people were hospitalized and needed mobility care. She says, “Patients need to be repositioned every two hours, individualizing patient care helps prevent pressure injuries. To reposition a patient that is intubated with COVID can take up to 7 people to reposition. The efforts of the health care professionals that are handling these situations, I’m just in awe.”
Dr. Barbara Braden is a former professor emeritus at Creighton University developed the Braden Scale which is used internationally to assess the risk of getting a pressure sore and guide prevention.