Relieving The Pressure - a novel and cost effective option for pressure ulcer prevention

Pressure ulcer (PU) prevention in the care home setting can be challenging. Every setting where care is delivered, whether home, hospital or care home, faces challenges in delivering PU prevention(1).  Defined as localised damage to the skin and underlying tissue caused by unrelieved pressure or a combination of pressure and sheer(2,3) PU’s incur a significant cost to the NHS 4,5,6varying from £1,214 (category 1) to £14,108 (category 4)3. Costs increase with ulcer severity (3,6) not to mention the impact on the individual such as pain, the need for additional nursing interventions, damage to a persons’ sense of self leading to depression, social isolation due to wound symptoms such as odour (1,6)as well as increased risk of infection.