The wound unit: a specialized unit for pressure sore management in a long-term care facility.
Approximately 20% of all patients admitted to long-term care facilities arrive with pressure sores. An additional 12% develop new sores over each subsequent six-month period. Management of pressure sores has traditionally been a time-consuming, inefficient, and costly exercise. We describe the efforts to standardize and improve the care of patients with pressure sores at a 360-bed chronic care and nursing facility in Maryland. The efforts began with a pressure ulcer team, and continued with the establishment of a wound protocol and, ultimately, a wound unit.
Taler
G
G
Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Richardson
J P
JP
Fredman
L
L
Lazur
A
A
D015142:Baltimore; D006757:Hospital Units; D006782:Hospitals, Special; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care; D010348:Patient Care Team; D003668:Pressure Ulcer / Q000628:therapy*