Long-Term Care Survey Alert

Published on Sun Aug 31, 2003 PDF

Find Out the Secret To This Nursing Home Company's Successful Skin Care Program

A decision-making point can be a "breaking point" for skin integrity - literally. That's why TSW Management Company has implemented a standardized pressure ulcer prevention program for its six nursing home facilities - and why the facilities have a miniscule rate of in-house pressure ulcers, according to Kathy Hurst, director of health care operations and human resources for the Annaheim-based company.
 
Highlights of the program include:

Pressure-reduction devices for all residents. "All of our mattresses are pressure reducing ... we don't have any regular mattresses," says Hurst. "If a building does have some old mattresses left over, we put overlays on them or whatever the facility can afford."

Turning and repositioning regimens for any resident who needs help with bed-mobility or transfer.

Use of the MDS as a risk-assessment tool in lieu of the Braden or Norton scales. Hurst notes that a recent study comparing the ability of the latter scales and MDS assessment to predict risk of pressure ulcers were all about the same, "so we just use the MDS," she relates.

High-tech, low-air loss pressure-relieving surfaces for residents with stage 3 or 4 pressure ulcers.