An overview of ‘Pressure ulcers: revised definition and measurement’

Pressure ulcers remain a significant healthcare problem, with an incidence rate of around 4.5% of all patients being reported with a pressure ulcer (NHS Safety Thermometer, 2019). While pressure ulcers can be painful and debilitating to the patient, treating them imposes a high financial burden on the NHS, of around £3.8 million a day (NHS Improvement, 2018). Thus, improving the prevention, management and reporting of pressure ulcers is essential.

With many policies, strategies and guidance available, both locally and nationally, to help address issues of pressure damage (prevention, management and reporting), there appears an overall lack of consistency, and these inconsistencies and lack of standardisation are evident in various aspects, from reporting to the use of terminology.

In 2018, NHS Improvement released a document entitled ‘Pressure ulcers: revised definition and measurement’, to provide clarity on various issues around pressure ulcers. This comprehensive document includes 30 recommendations expected to be implemented across NHS England by April 2019. It aims to support a consistent approach to measuring, defining and reporting pressure ulcers, and is designed to be consistent with current approaches to all types of pressure damage, thereby supporting learning. This article provides an overview of ‘Pressure ulcers: revised definition and measurement’ (NHS Improvement, 2018).