Thank you to all the health professionals, organisations, patient consumers and families in the Pan Pacific region who are planning local action for World Stop Pressure Injury Day, November 20th 2014. Download a free guideline poster for World Stop Pressure Injury Day here

Prevention and Treatment of Pressure Ulcers: Clinical Practice Guideline

Pressure ulcers, pressure injures and bed sores are synonymous terms. In the Pan Pacific region, the term pressure injury has been adopted and should continue to be used.

Prevention and Treatment of Pressure Ulcers: Clinical Practice Guideline is the result of a collaborative effort among the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP), European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (EPUAP) and Pan Pacific Pressure Injury Alliance (PPPIA). The guideline was developed using a rigorous scientific methodology to appraise available research and make 575 evidence-based recommendations. In this second edition, a consensus voting process (GRADE)was used to assign strengths of recommendation that indicate the extent to which one can be confident that adherence to a recommendation will do more good than harm, intended to assist the health professional to prioritise interventions.

This second edition of the guideline combines prevention and treatment recommendations in one expanded guideline. This edition includes newly added sections on emerging fields of interest including:

• prevention and treatment of biofilms,
• prophylactic dressings,
• microclimate control,
• medical-device related pressure ulcers,
• prevention and management of heel pressure ulcers and,
• low friction fabrics.

The guideline includes  updated recommendations and/or research summaries for the following pressure ulcer topics: aetiology; prevalence and incidence; risk assessment; skin and tissue assessment; preventive skin care; prophylactic dressings; microclimate control; fabrics and textiles; nutrition; repositioning and early mobilisation; support surfaces; medical device related pressure ulcers; pressure ulcer classification; wound assessment; monitoring of healing; pain assessment and treatment; cleansing; debridement; wound dressings (including growth factors and biological wound dressings); assessment and treatment of infection and biofilms; biophysical agents (e.g. electrical stimulation, negative pressure wound therapy, electromagnetic field treatment); and surgery. The guideline also includes the NPUAP/EPUAP International Pressure Ulcer Classification system, complete with full Category/Stage descriptions and illustrative photography.

Visit the guideline website (www.internationalguideline.com) for guideline support documents, permissions for reproduction and translated versions.

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