Heel pressure ulcers, heel sore prevention | Study offered by DM Systems

Date: December, 2007

INDEPENDENT RESEARCH OFFERS INSIGHT ON HEEL PRESSURE ULCER PREVALENCE, PREVENTION, AND TREATMENT

Click here to view the 2007/2004 Comparative
Survey on Pressure Relief Devices

Evanston, IL...DM Systems, Inc., makes available a synopsis of an independent research project regarding heel pressure ulcers and heel pressure relief devices.

Recently completed, the research involved surveying wound care nurses who encounter heel pressure ulcers on a regular basis. The purpose of the study was to explore trending in heel pressure ulcer prevalence as well as to determine what types of heel pressure relief devices wound care nurses prefer. The study began with an initial survey in 2004.

The results indicate that:

• Pressure relief boots and pillows are preferred
over pressure relief mattresses and heel
protectors by a wide margin.

• There is a direct correlation between working with a formal pressure ulcer protocol and choice of
pressure relief device. Nurses whose workplace supports a formal protocol preferred boots over
pillows a majority of the time.

• Many nurses indicated that they believe pressure relief boots are the best pressure relief devices
for heel ulcer prevention and treatment. Of the nurses who stated that they believe pillows are
preferable over pressure relief boots, only 15% indicated that pillows out-perform boots in pressure
relief prevention and treatment.

In addition to these results, the survey found that concern about heel pressure ulcers has increased in most facilities over the last three years. Correspondingly, most respondents indicated that pressure ulcer prevalence where they worked was not extremely high.