pressure sore risk factors

Pressure sores are more likely to develop persons who are at higher risk due to one or more risk factors.  A number of risk factors have been identified which put individuals at higher risk, and once a person is identified as being at increased risk for pressure sores, measures may be undertaken to reduce or eliminate those risks.  Thus, healthcare providers must be aware of these risk factors when caring for patients in order to prevent the unnecessary development of pressure sores.  While risk factors may vary depending upon the particular circumstances, the following represents a list of the most common:

1.  Confinement to bed, chair, or wheelchair.   Persons confined to beds, chairs, or wheelchairs who are unable to move themselves, can develop pressure-induced injuries in as little as 1-2 hours if the pressure is not relieved;

2.  Inability to change positions without help.  (Eg., an individual in a coma, who is paralyzed, or recovering from a hip fracture or other mobility limiting injury);

3.  Loss of bowel or bladder control.  Sources of moisture on the skin from urine, stool, or perspiration can irritate the skin.

4.  Poor nutrition and/or dehydration.  Pressure sores are more likely to form when the skin is not properly nourished.

5.  Decreased mental awareness.  An individual with decreased mental awareness may not have the level of sensory perception or ability to act to prevent the development of pressure-induced injury.  The lack of mental awareness may arise from medications.

Too often those caring for nursing home patients fail to take into account the foregoing risk factors, and thus fail to develop a plan of care which would otherwise prevent the development of pressure sores.

Learn more:

10 Pressure Sore Precautions Too Often Ignored

About Pressure Sores and Gangrene

If you believe that a nursing home may have failed to develop and implement a plan of care which incorporated these critical precautions, and such failure led to the development of one or more pressure sores, you should contact an attorney for further consultation.  Please feel free to contact our office using our toll-free number (888)922-2889 or by submitting a free case review request on this website.  We will discuss your case with you and answer any questions you may have.  We do not charge for this consultation.