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New Position Paper on Avoidable versus Unavoidable Pressure Ulcers
The Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society (WOCN) is introducing its position paper on the topic of avoidable and unavoidable pressure ulcers.
The recent change in prospective payment for facility-acquired pressure ulcers in hospitals and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service's definition of avoidable and unavoidable pressures ulcer in the long-term care setting have brought to the forefront the need to address the assumption that all pressure ulcers are avoidable.
In response to members concerns about the legal and regulatory issues of pressure ulcer prevention, WOCN's Public Policy and Wound Sub-committees reviewed the current literature and evidence base related to pressure ulcer prevention to develop the position paper. After committee members' discussion, review and input from additional content experts, the position paper was developed and submitted to WOCN's Board of Directors and approved.
The following position paper outlines WOCN's position on avoidable and unavoidable pressure ulcers, provides a historical overview about pressure ulcer prevention, lists supportive statements from the literature about identification of risk and pressure prevention, and makes recommendations to guide future research, guideline development, and implementation of evidence-based preventive interventions.
View Publish Ahead of Print Article in Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing
Posted: May 7, 2009
Important Links
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- NPUAP's 12th National Biennial Conference
- 2010 Election Results
- Now Available! Management of the Patient with a Fecal Ostomy: Best Practice for Clinicians
- Now Available! The revised Guideline for the Prevention and Management of Pressure Ulcers
- Purchase a Copy of the WOC Nursing Scope & Standards of Practice
- Guidance on OASIS Skin and Wound