Emerging Skin Health and Pressure Injury concerns under the pressures of COVID-19
We are in unprecedented times; Cardinal Health can help you manage through it.
Long Term Care Facilities’ typical protocols for checks and changes are being challenged due to a lack of PPE, potentially being short-staffed, and being instructed to limit close personal contact and reduce frequency of in-room visits.
Does this put your residents skin health at greater risk?
On this page:
Staffing
Nursing visits
Time in bed
Fragile skin
Staffing
Post Acute facilities are short staffed
Post acute facilities have been challenged with staffing issues, which has been amplified under the strains of COVID-19. 1
Nursing visits
Reduction in nursing visits
A lack of PPE & advised reductions in room visits has made it challenging to preform checks and changes as frequent as facilities typically would.2
Time in bed
Residents spending more time in bed
Facilities are being instructed to limit communal activities3 , which means residents are spending more time in their room, likely lying down in bed, or sitting in their chairs for extended periods of time.Fragile skin
Fragile skin
Fragile skin can easily break down, especially over bony prominences. Residents with Incontinence Associated Dermatitis have a greater chance of their skin breakdown developing into a Pressure Injury4Download the Guide on Pressure Injury Staging and Wound Care Selection
The first step in planning treatment for a Pressure Injury is to be sure your team understands how to properly stage one. Download our comprehensive guide, and share with your entire clinical team for additional education. After all, skin health is mission critical.
Cardinal Health’s portfolio of skin wellness products can help you care for your residents and protect their fragile skin. Our team of clinicians and product specialists have created care plan support for at risk skin, skin breaking down, and treatment pressure injuries.
Clean up & protect the skin with a Dimethicone wipe. Clean and protect in one step with single-use wet wipes
Use a sacral foam dressing as a prophylactic measure. Protect the sacral region or heels with foam dressings designed for those areas
Minimize exposure to urine/stool & promote a healthy microclimate. Highly absorptive briefs with moisture vapor permeability or Premium Underpads in place of reusable underpads
Utilize positioners to offload pressure from vulnerable areas. Positioners for residents laying down, and wheelchair seat cushions for when seated.
AMD Antimicrobial Dressings Less nursing intervention? Proactive care with AMD antimicrobials with PHMB. It’s hard on bacteria but easy on skin
Remove the wearable incontinence product in favor of open-to-air with a Premium Underpad. Super absorbent polymer quickly wicks away fluid from a void, neutralizes unpleasant odors and pH.
Watch the video outlining basic principles of applying the Cardinal Health™ Foam Dressing with NPWT technology.
Treat a Stage 3 or 4 PI with Negative Pressure Wound Therapy. Cardinal Health’s NPWT systems may promote wound healing by the removal of fluids, including exudate, irrigation fluids, body fluids, and infectious materials.
Utilize Simultaneous Irrigation to promote wound healing. Irrigation with NPWT can help further reduce bioburden and debris in a wound.
Sources:
- https://nurse.org/articles/nurse-staffing-unsafe-long-care-facilities/
- https://www.ahcancal.org/facility_operations/disaster_planning/Documents/When-COVID-Gets-In.pdf
- https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-14/u-s-cms-tells-nursing-homes-to-restrict-visitors-activities
- Incontinence-Associated Dermatitis, Characteristics and Relationship to Pressure Injury: A Multisite Epidemiologic Analysis. Gray M, Giuliano KK J Wound Ostomy Continence Nurs. 2018 Jan/Feb; 45(1):63-67.
- https://www.mcknights.com/news/pandemic-has-made-it-harder-for-nursing-facilities-to-recruit-retain-workers/