Hospital-acquired pressure ulcer incident rates among hospitals that implement an education program for staff, patients, and family caregivers inclusive of an after discharge follow-up program in Saudi Arabia.

ABSTRACT

A tertiary public hospital in Saudi Arabia set out in 2015 to establish a team focused on reducing hospital-acquired pressure ulcers (HAPUs). The pressure ulcer prevention program (PUPP) had a multifaceted approach and data were collected for a period of 5 years. The results showed a definite reduction in the incidences of HAPUs. Many such programs show similar positive results and echo many of the same considerations of risk, prevention strategies, and the need for early intervention. However, none of the other studies either replicate the hospital's PUPP nor the extent of the positive and lasting effect of the program. Eager to determine the contributing factor(s) in order that the project success could be continued and possibly replicated in other quality improvement projects, it was decided that an examination and comparison of other similar programs and their results would be necessary in order to uncover the answer. It was determined that the in-person in-home discharge follow-up portion of the program most likely had the largest effect on the outcomes. Outcomes that were supported by the pre-work completed during the hospital portion of the PUPP towards reducing HAPUs and readmissions.