title: A team approach for risk assessment, prevention, and treatment of pressure ulcers in nursing home patients.
abstract: The article describes a unique decentralized wound care program instituted in a nursing home care unit of a Veterans Affairs hospital. This decentralized, interdisciplinary approach to wound care has been effective in reducing the incidence and prevalence of pressure ulcers in a nursing home population over the last 2 years. Prevention was a major focus of the program. The Braden scale was used to identify patients at risk for pressure ulcer formation; proper measures were introduced to reduce identified risk. This collaborative team effort led to improved patient care and decreased incidence and prevalence of pressure ulcers in this population.
authors.affiliation: Geriatrics Nursing Home Care Unit, Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Kartes
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006787:Hospitals, Veterans; D006801:Humans; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000379:methods; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000592:standards*; D009739:Nursing Services / Q000592:standards*; D010348:Patient Care Team; D003668:Pressure Ulcer / Q000209:etiology / Q000451:nursing / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000628:therapy; D017749:Total Quality Management / Q000379:methods*; D014922:Wisconsin