Pressure injuries, or bed sores, cost hospitals an estimated $9.1 to $11.6 billion annually to treat. Medicaid and Medicare do not offer additional reimbursement for patients who experience a pressure injury after inpatient admission.
Sign up for our FREE E-Weekly for more coverage like this sent to your inbox
To better understand the impact of wound-care certified nurses on mitigating the occurrence of pressure injuries, researchers analyzed data on 928 hospitals compiled in the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators Registered Nurse survey for 2012 and 2013. Approximately 37 percent of the hospitals were staffed by nurses with at least one of five wound-care certifications. Hospitals staffed by nurses with three types of wound-care certification displayed an overall hospital-acquired pressure injury rate of 2.81 percent. For hospitals staffed by nurses without wound-care certifications, the HAPI rate was 3.28 percent.
The study’s authors concluded wound-care certified nurses should be included in hospital strategies to reduce the occurrence of pressure injuries.
More articles on quality:
Study finds most cancers occur randomly and are unavoidable
RL Solutions joins NPSF Patient Safety Coalition
4 hospitals in South Carolina with top nurse-patient communication scores
Becker’s 3rd Annual Fall Chief Pharmacy Officer Summit is the top tier event that the people leading the future of pharmacy convene. This 3-day event is built specifically for Chief Pharmacy Officers and senior pharmacy leaders. The sessions examine the workforce, financial and clinical priorities shaping pharmacy today. Becker’s is where candid discussions flourish and new ideas thrive. Becker's 3rd Annual Fall Chief Pharmacy Officer Summit
