title: Evaluation of a formal care worker educational intervention on pressure ulceration in the community.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To develop and evaluate an educational intervention for formal care workers on pressure ulceration in the community.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Pressure ulcers are a major burden to health care and with an ageing population likely to increase. Formal care workers are ideally placed to identify high risk but lack standardised educational provision.
  
  
  METHODS
  An insider approach to action research in one provider organisation, November 2014-May 2015.
  
  
  METHODS
  Number and categorisation of pressure ulcers, within three community nursing teams before and four months after intervention was delivered to a purposive sample (n = 250) of formal care workers, were assessed and the taught element evaluated using a questionnaire and verbal feedback.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Total number of pressure ulcers reduced from 28-20, category II, 19-11, III unchanged at 6 and IV from 2-0 following the educational intervention. Key risk factors included impaired mobility (71%), urinary incontinence (61%) and previous pressure damage (25%), and 71% had formal care worker input. The intervention was highly rated 4·95/5 by 215 (86%) formal care workers in the evaluation questionnaire.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Formal care workers receive little, if any, education on pressure ulceration. An educational intervention can have a positive effect within community care, with the potential to reduce direct costs of care. However, a standardised approach to education is required; an urgent review of the education provision to formal care workers, in the UK and around the world, is therefore essential if the potential that formal care workers offer is to be realised.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Formal care workers are ideally placed to help identify and alert healthcare professionals about patients at high risk of developing pressure ulcers. If this potential is to be realised, a standardised approach to education is required.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, UK.
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cross
authors.affiliation: Virgincare, Surrey, UK.|St John's Health Centre, Woking, Surrey, UK.
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hindley
authors.affiliation: School of Health Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, UK.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Carey
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003150:Community Health Workers / Q000193:education*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D003668:Pressure Ulcer / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: community care; educational intervention; formal care workers; pressure ulceration