Nursing Homes Medical Negligence

Pressure sores or pressure ulcers are preventable wounds caused by unrelieved pressure on the skin. The skin that breaks down when a patient remains in one position for too long without being re-positioned to shift their weight. Patients that are at risk of developing pressure sores or pressure ulcers are those that are wheelchair bound or those who are bedridden, even for a short period of time, such as after surgery or after and injury. The constant pressure on the skin reduces the blood supply to that area, and the affected skin tissue dies. The most common places for pressure sores to develop are over bony areas.

Pressure sores are almost always preventable with the exercise of reasonable skill and care and proper supervision.

Factors that increase the risk of development of pressure sores include:

• Being bed or wheelchair ridden.
• Diabetes or vascular disease, that results in decreased blood supply to areas of the body.
• Inability or restricted ability to move certain parts of the body without assistance, such as after spinal or brain injury or as a result of other medical conditions.
• Older age.
• Urinary or bowel incontinence.
• Fragile skin.
• And many others.

When a patient’s age or medical condition or weight predispose them to the risk of falling or development of pressure sores, special precautions are required in order to minimise the risk of that patient falling or developing pressure sores. 

Hospital and nursing home staff must be aware of the increased vulnerability of their patients to the risk of falling and developing pressure sores and must be vigilant and use strategies to prevent falls and development of pressure sores.

Examples of strategies to preventing or minimising falls include:

• Identifying patients at risk.
• Undertaking regular rounds to check on patients to ensure fundamental needs are being met. 
• Using low-low beds for patients at risk of falling or rolling out of bed.
• Using bed or chair alarms for patients who do not ask or wait for assistance or who require supervision to mobilise.
• Many hospitals have introduced non-slip [red] socks to identify individuals at risk of falls and focus attention on prevention strategies.
• Hip protectors for patients with bone conditions such as osteoporosis.
• Use of protective helmets.
• One on one supervision for high-risk patient.
• And many others.

Examples of strategies to preventing or minimising development of pressure sores include:

• Performing skin integrity assessments.
• Providing appropriate skin care and keeping skin clean and dry.
• Redistributing pressure.
• Positioning and repositioning the patient.
• And many others.