Skintegrity: Pressure Injury Prevention in the Operating Room

Course overview

Pressure injuries can be a serious issue in the perioperative department. Skin damage and pressure injury formation can continue even after the pressure has been relieved; a skin injury that presents 72 hours after surgery is now recognized as starting in the perioperative area. Effective prevention of pressure injury development before, during, and after surgery has the potential to greatly improve patient care and satisfaction. It can also reduce the costs to acute-care facilities. In order to prevent pressure injuries, healthcare staff need to understand different factors that cause pressure injuries. The goal of this course is to give an overview of how pressure injuries develop and how they are staged, and to discuss measures that perioperative staff can take to minimize the risk of pressure injuries developing.