Use of a Simple Three-Step Process, Prevention Algorithm Shown to Reduce Pressure Ulcers

ConvaTec, a leading developer and marketer of innovative medical technologies for community and hospital care, announces the introduction of a new national campaign to help reduce the risk of pressure ulcers in hospital and post-acute care settings. The new campaign is a result of feedback and collaboration with nurses and clinicians who use skin care products to help prevent pressure ulcers. The campaign recommends three simple steps for using ConvaTec skin care products within a protocol of care to reduce the risk of pressure ulcers.

The ConvaTec 1-2-3 campaign to help reduce the risk of pressure ulcers standardizes products which support the proprietary ConvaTec Solutions® Algorithm for Prevention and strategies to cleanse, moisturize and protect skin. The campaign, which leverages an easy-to-identify 1-2-3 numbering system on ConvaTec skin care products, and is positioned for use by hospitals and other healthcare facilities across the U.S., will be shared with clinicians at the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel 12th Biennial Conference in Las Vegas.

"Our research shows that efforts to cleanse, moisturize and protect skin could have a significant and positive impact on reducing the risk of pressure ulcers for millions of patients each year," says Thierry Poirot, ConvaTec's vice president of medical sffairs, North America and Asia Pacific. "The use of the Solutions® Algorithm for Prevention, including the ConvaTec 1-2-3 skin care products and a protocol of care resulted in a 90 percent reduction of hospital-acquired skin breakdown in an acute facility(1) and an 87 percent reduction of pressure ulcers in a long-term care facility."(2)

Pressure ulcers, also known as decubitus ulcers, are skin lesions associated with pressure, friction, moisture, and other factors. They can affect any area of skin and are especially common on the sacral area of the lower back, heels, and other areas with bony prominences. A study in the International Journal of Nursing Studies found that the prevalence of pressure ulcers ranges from 14.3 percent to 15.6 percent among patients in acute care settings and that pressure ulcers affect an estimated 27.7 percent of patients in long-term care facilities.(3) Additionally, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), pressure-ulcer related hospitalizations may add more than $10,000 to hospital costs, account for an additional four days in the hospital for a single individual and increase mortality rates.(4)

"Identification and proper care of at-risk or compromised skin is a very important part of pressure ulcer prevention," says Courtney H. Lyder, ND, GNP, FAAN, dean and professor in the School of Nursing, assistant director of the UCLA Health System, executive director of the Patient Safety Institute, and professor of public health and medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. "The ConvaTec 3-step protocol for skin care, combined with the Solutions® Algorithms for Prevention program, provides clinicians with clear guidance backed by clinical data validating that these three easy steps can reduce the risk of pressure ulcers for patients."

ConvaTec will also feature Solutions® Program for Pressure Ulcer Prevention which provides education, tools and products to help reduce the risk of pressure ulcers. This includes information on prevention, guidelines and recommendations of appropriate skin care and prophylactic dressings to effectively help to prevent pressure ulcers. The program is designed to help facilities and caregivers improve outcomes, clinical efficiency and standardized care for patients. The full range of resources in the Solutions® Program for Pressure Ulcer Prevention program can be customized for training and use by clinicians, and will be available beginning in March 2011.

ConvaTec offers two skin care lines to help customers cleanse, moisturize and protect skin. The Aloe Vesta® line of skin care products is appropriate for at-risk skin. The Sensi-Care® line of skin care products is appropriate for compromised skin. Additionally, DuoDERM® Extra Thin and DuoDERM® Signal® are appropriate for protecting bony prominences (e.g., sacral area of the lower back) where pressure ulcers can develop.