Improving the quality of pressure ulcer management in a skilled nursing facility

Abstract

Pressure ulcers (PUs) are a serious health care problem for nursing home residents and a key quality metric for regulators. Three initiatives were introduced at a 128‐bed facility to improve PU prevention. First, a Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement project and a Root Cause Analysis were conducted to improve the facility's wound care programme. Second, a digital wound care management solution was adopted to track wound management. Third, the role of skin integrity coordinator was created as a central point of accountability for wound care‐related activities and related performance metrics. Improvements in PU prevention were tracked using Centers of Medicare and Medicaid data, specifically (a) the percentage of long‐stay high‐risk residents with PUs and (b) the percentage of short‐stay residents with PUs that are new or have worsened. PU prevalence for long‐stay high‐risk residents was 12.99% (Q4 2016), and upon implementation of these initiatives, the facility saw continued reductions in PU prevalence to 2.9% (Q4 2017), while PUs for short‐stay residents were maintained at zero throughout this period. This study highlights the power of effective management combined with real‐time data analytics, as enabled by digital wound care management, to make significant improvements in health care delivery.

Diagnosis of Skin Lesions Using Photographs Taken With a Mobile Phone: An Online Survey of Primary Care Physicians

“…10,11,27 The preferred camera for taking dermatological photographs in a professional context is a mobile phone camera and most of the participants are currently participating or have participated in some form of TD project. 10,13,28…”

“…Digital clinical photography is increasingly used among the community of health care professionals to document wounds and skin lesions and conduct remote consultations. 12,13 The ability to attach high-quality photos to written notes when detailing the characteristics of the lesion helps provide a record that can be referred back to, track any developments, and provide diagnostic support. 14,15…”

Digital Nursing Quality Management: A Concept Analysis

“…Patient’s willingness to accept digital technologies, nurses’ perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of digital technologies, and their technical ability are all directly related to the successful implementation of digital nursing quality management practices (Choi and Tak, 2022, Wilson and Mooney, 2020, Wong et al, 2023). The better the device and the easier it is to operate, the more proactive nurses will be in analyzing the quality-of-care data, and the patients will be more accepting of the new technology (Au et al, 2019). Secondly, The propensity of nursing organizations to adopt technology is also influenced by peer evaluation of usage and acquisition costs, as well as whether digital technology is thoroughly utilized over time (Kateb et al, 2022).…”

“…Nurses achieve continuous, dynamic assessment and management of patients with the support of information technology, real-time, comprehensive patient information, and more targeted decision-making, reducing the burden and improving efficiency (Arakawa et al, 2018, Au et al, 2019, Dugstad et al, 2019, Roeder, 2009). Additionally, nurses can leverage digital tools to provide timely feedback, address queries, and offer emotional support, ultimately promoting improved health outcomes and patient satisfaction.…”

“…Patient's willingness to accept digital technologies, nurses' perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of digital technologies, and their technical ability are all directly related to the successful implementation of Digital Nursing Quality Management practices (Choi & Tak, 2022;Navarro-Martínez et al, 2023;Wilson & Mooney, 2020;Wong et al, 2023). The better the device and the easier it is to operate, the more proactive nurses will be in analyzing the quality of care data, and the patients will be more accepting of the new technology (Au et al, 2019).…”