A group of 150 New Jersey hospitals, nursing homes and health care agencies reduced the number of patients with bedsores by 70%, "thanks mostly to low-tech interventions," according to a study conducted by the
New Jersey Hospital Association, the
New York Times reports. The study found that the initiative decreased the number of patients with bedsores -- caused by unrelieved pressure or friction on skin -- from 18% in September 2005 to 5% in May 2007. In addition, 48 of the institutions reported that none of their patients has had a bedsore in the first quarter of this year. To reduce the incidence of bedsores, participating facilities performed a skin evaluation on each patient within eight hours of being admitted.
Another step was the implementation of a record-keeping system that allowed nurses to recognize immediately if a patient's skin condition was deteriorating. Increased communication between facilities when patients were transferred also was credited as a factor.
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