Unicare leads 150 pressure care leaders in celebrating Worldwide STOP Pressure Injury Day. #stopthepressure
Seminar: Together we can STOP Pressure Injuries
– Worldwide STOP Pressure Injury Day
The Camfield, Burswood
Thursday, 17 November 2022
“The key to pressure injury prevention and management is education. With the right knowledge and care, pressure injuries are largely preventable.”
And this is how we led Worldwide STOP Pressure Injury Day celebrations in Western Australia this year.
#stopthepressure is an initiative driven by Unicare Health to stop pressure injuries (PIs) from developing through the education of effective prevention & management techniques and intelligent use of pressure care devices.
Unicare Health has been leading Worldwide STOP Pressure Injury Day celebrations in Western Australia since 2018.
This year, we were joined by 150 West Australian Pressure Care leaders and clinicians who joined us for updated pressure care education and a walk to #stopthepressure.
Together, we shared some breathtaking views of the Matagarup Bridge and Optus Stadium, in light of new discoveries made in the field of PI prevention, treatment, and care.
Our Pressure Care event, “Together we can STOP Pressure Injuries,” challenged traditional methods of care and repositioning strategies that are no longer best practice and provided clinicians with the skills and resources to evaluate new Assistive Technology that offers more effective approaches to PI prevention and management.
Featuring emerging trends and the most recent discoveries presented at the recent Europrean Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel Conference #EPUAP2022 in Prague, our clinical educator and trainer, Annette Terranova, shared her newfound knowledge and updates with all involved in the prevention and management of PIs.
Annette is a respected occupational therapist, clinical educator, and speaker at healthcare events all over Australia. She is a sought-after consultant by clinicians working in hospitals, aged care, and disability for knowledgeable pressure care advice and equipment solutions. Her passions include pressure injury care, manual handling, mobility, seating, and more.
Annette started her presentation by thanking everyone for their dedication towards Pressure Injury Care and for choosing to celebrate Worldwide STOP Pressure Injury Day with Unicare Health.
She briefly discussed the purpose of Worldwide STOP Pressure Injury Day and shared pictures of her travels to Prague to attend the recent European Pressure Ulcer Conference #EPUAP2022.
See Annette attends EPUAP 2022 in Prague, Czech Republic
Annette introduced the Clinical Practice Guidelines for the prevention and management of PIs, developed by the National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel (NPIAP), European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (EPUAP) and Pan Pacific Pressure Injury Alliance (PPPIA) and used these guidelines a framework for her presentation.
She shared case studies and photos of PIs she had seen as an occupational therapist and consultant, reminding everyone that PIs can happen to anyone, and at any time.
Annette reminded everyone of the factors that can influence a person’s susceptibility to PIs, such as limited mobility, chronic health conditions, nutritional deficiencies, and more.
She clarified the distinctions between Incontinence Associated Dermatitis and Pressure Injuries, which are often misunderstood.
She discussed risk factors to look for in the elderly population, as many are too timid or afraid to complain about their pain and discomfort for fear of what might happen, or how they would be treated.
She challenged traditional methods of care, such as the use of ring cushions and the implementation of two-hour repositioning regimens, and explained why they are no longer best practice.
“It is critical that we understand why these methods are no longer best practice, and spread that understanding to a wider audience.”.
Annette emphasised the importance of individualised care.
“Is confining someone in bed and placing them on an alternating air mattress the key to healing their pressure injury? Individualised pressure injury prevention and management is important. Look at where their pressure injury is and the cause of its occurrence.”
Following a delicious lunch of freshly cooked paella by the chefs at the Camfield, Annette discussed clinical features of equipment in detail using Unicare Health’s range of pressure care devices such as seat cushions, pressure care mattresses, and care chairs.
She shared their applicability for various situations and environments, and in which circumstance she would prescribe a particular device for a user.
“It is important to take a multi-disciplinary approach when it comes to PI prevention and management. We may not always have all the resources we need so it’s key to be creative about solutions to offload pressure areas for our users.”
Using Care of Sweden’s range of pressure care mattresses, Annette showed everyone how the limitations of traditional pressure care mattresses have been addressed with new innovations and technology.
Opening covers to compare the interior of two foam mattresses of different brands, Annette showed everyone the differences within both mattresses and how the material selection and technologies contributed towards comfort, microclimate, shear reduction and pressure care.
“Always open the covers and be intelligent about what you’re looking at”, she stressed.
“You need to understand what your clients are sleeping on.”
Annette discussed Care of Sweden’s new pulsating technology and its advantages over traditional alternating air mattress technology.
The two main causes of PIs—ischemia and cell deformation—are addressed by pulsating technology, which combines the advantages of constant low pressure and the traditional alternating mode.
With pulsating technology, air cells are partially emptied and pressure is alternated. This results in reduced peak pressures against the skin and hardly any mattress movement. This increases comfort and stability.
Scientific studies that measure tissue perfusion, prevention, and therapeutic effect have justified the clinical impact of the pulsating mode as an improved method of pressure care.
Annette also discussed the various features of mattress pumps and how these features should be taken into account when prescribing a pressure care mattress system for individual needs.
Driven by her unwavering passion for pressure care, Annette discussed the various types of pressure relieving seat cushions and their clinical features in detail, emphasising the importance of positioning them correctly and in their intended position.
“A cushion that costs $800 provides no pressure care when placed upside down”.
She discussed the differences and applications of foam, dry-polymer, and fluidised gel cushions.
She also compared the technologies found inside a range of JAY cushions and demonstrated how they differed in terms of pressure relief and positioning.
She also spoke about setting up and using ROHO cushions and introduced Permobil‘s all-new ROHO Hybrid Select Cushion that combines the positioning capability of a contoured foam base and air-filled cells for gold standard offloading of pressure areas.
Attendees also learned how to use Askle’s positioning cushions to relieve pressure areas.
Annette talked about wheelchairs and seating systems for positioning and pressure care.
She reviewed the seating system on her demo Quickie IRIS and SR45 chairs and talked about new features in Quickie’s Q Series power chairs and how these power features can play a new and significant role in PI prevention and management.
She also encouraged attendees to understand the technology inside a care chair before prescribing one.
“Understand the clinical features of the material properties inside”, she stressed.
“Some traditional care chairs have an air bladder that needs to be regularly pumped up. Imagine sitting on a gym ball or a beach ball. What kind of pressure care and positioning properties do these types of chairs offer?”
“Care chairs like the Regency offer endless positioning options and a gel sack that relieves pressure areas in its seating structure. Consider the differences and the user’s long-term needs”
Annette also spoke about tilt in space shower commodes and the importance of considering PI prevention and positioning even in the shower.
“Someone with poor postural control will slide and develop pressure injuries from shearing if they are seated upright on a wet commode.”
Attendees enjoyed the opportunity to get up close and personal with pressure care devices.
Many were looking inside cushion covers and mattresses for the first time.
Thank you
Unicare Health would like to thank everyone who took the time to spend Worldwide STOP Pressure Injury Day with us.
We are delighted to be your go-to resource for addressing pressure care prevention and management challenges, and confident that our #stopthepressure events will continue to have a positive impact on how PI care is improved in Western Australia.
“As industry leaders, we are thankful to have our own following of pressure care leaders to help us spread the knowledge of pressure injury care to a larger audience. We enjoy hosting educational activities on prevention and treatment of pressure injuries through our marketing campaign #stopthepressure and enjoy sharing updated education with everyone who #unicares about improving patient outcomes through intelligent choice and use of #pressurecare equipment.”
Check out how the rest of the world celebrated Worldwide STOP Pressure Injuries Day.
