title: Skin tears: prevention and treatment.
abstract: While skin tears are common among the elderly in general, and residents of long-term care facilities in particular, there has been limited research into their treatment. Many facilities voluntarily track skin tears, and some states require facilities to report these events. Risk factors include age, xerosis (abnormal eye, skin, or mouth dryness), need for help in activities of daily living, presence of senile purpura, visual impairment, and poor nutrition. Plans to prevent skin tears that employ skin sleeves, padded side rails, gentle skin cleansers, moisturizing lotions, as well as staff education, can decrease by half the number of skin tears incurred in a long-term care facility. Although the treatment process seems simple, it is time consuming and can be painful for the patient. Residents with dementia or agitation often try to remove bulky dressings used to cover skin tears. Dressing changes may injure the fragile wound via skin stripping.
authors.affiliation: National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Jeannette Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Wick
authors.forename: Guido R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Zanni