EWMA2015_Programme_ENG_WEB_part_1

Friday 15 May
8:00-9:30
South Gallery 19-22
Pressure Ulcer Risk Assessment: What do we know today?
This session will explore new developments in understanding those people at risk of
developing pressure ulcers and how they are risk assessed.
Topic: What is the extent of pain suffering, and is pain predictive of pressure ulcer
development?
Aim:
• Research to determine the extent of pressure area and pressure ulcer pain, and to
explore the role of pain as a predictor of Category 2 and above pressure ulcers was
undertaken within hospital and community populations.
• Using multi-centre prevalence and cohort studies, it was determined that a significant
minority of hospital in-patients without pressure ulcers suffers pressure area-related
pain, and that approximately 40% of hospital patients and 75% community patients
with pressure ulcers report pain. In addition, pain severity is not related to ulcer
severity; both inflammatory and neuropathic pain are observed, and the presence of
pain (on skin areas assessed as normal, altered but intact, or Category 1 pressure
ulcer) increases and accelerates the development of pressure ulcers of Category 2 and
above. This session will report the findings of this study, which have been used to
develop a risk assessment tool.
Topic: Why do patients develop severe pressure ulcers?
Aim:
• The aim of this research was to understand how organisational context influences the
development of severe pressure ulcers.
• Using a novel case study design, it was determined that severe pressure ulcers were
more likely to develop in contexts characterised by one or more of the following:
clinicians failing to listen to patients or caregivers, clinicians failing to recognise and
respond to (i.e., escalate) clear signs that a patient had a pressure ulcer or was at risk
for developing an ulcer, or lack of effective coordination of services.
Topic: What difference does a risk assessment tool make?
Aim: To undertake a qualitative study considering the use of formal risk assessment in
Ireland to informal assessment in Norway. This work was published in the Journal of
Wound Care, and explores the value of a risk assessment tools versus clinical judgement.
Topic: Factors predicting risk of PU development in hospital population
Aim: To report back on findings published in Journal of Advanced Nursing in August
2014 with regard to secondary analyses of patients within a multi-centre RCT.
KEY SESSION DESCRIPTIONS
Friday 15 May
14:15-15:45
Platinum 3-4
Living with non-healing wounds. Psychosocial concerns and
quality of life as a patient-informed outcome
The aim of the key session is to describe the aspects of quality of life with patients
suffering from chronic/non -healing wounds, provide tools for professionals to assess the
quality of life of patients with wounds, and understand how health utility is measured and
how the results should be interpreted.
EWMA 2015
IN COOPERATION WITH THE TISSUE VIABILITY SOCIETY
LONDON · UK
13-15 MAY 2015
45