title: Beds: practical pressure management for surfaces/mattresses.
abstract: The prevention and management of pressure ulcers, including support surface selection, are a primary focus of healthcare providers. This article discusses the forces contributing to pressure ulcer formation and explores choosing therapeutic support surface features based on the patient's clinical needs and on using the evidence-informed support surface algorithm and decision trees.
authors.affiliation: National Education, Shoppers Home Health Care, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Norton
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Coutts
authors.forename: R Gary
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Sibbald
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D001513:Beds; D006801:Humans; D011312:Pressure; D003668:Pressure Ulcer / Q000517:prevention & control*