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Did you know that hospitalizations related to pressure ulcers cost between $9.1 to $11.6 billion per year? Pressure ulcers present costly challenges to the patient and healthcare systems increasing the need to educate and train staff on preventative measures. The good news is that wound care management companies can assist with these challenges in a number of effective ways.

Working in the medical industry, your top priority is to care for your patients, providing the best treatment. As in many instances, some patients take longer to recover and spend more time in a hospital bed. This increases the chance of bed sores and pressure ulcers developing, especially when the patient is immobile. It is important to prevent the skin becoming red, spongy or hard and the top layers of skin from breaking down. Implementing a wound care program in a hospital or medical center can make a significant difference in bringing down the number of patients who suffer from pressure ulcers.

Medical News Today estimates that the number of pressure sores in intensive care units in the United States ranges from 16.6 % to 20.7 %. If a pressure sore does develop, the treatment can be complex, costing the hospital even more.

While most hospital staff know the general process of treating ulcer wounds by removing pressure, cleaning the wound, controlling incontinence, removing dead tissue, applying dressings and administering antibiotics; the reality is that this process can become incredibly challenging in the busyness of a hospital. This is where the help of an expert wound care program implemented by a wound care management company can be invaluable.

What Can a Wound Care Management Company Do for Your Hospital?

Wound care management companies, such as CūtisCare, offer a flexible and customized solution to wound care and prevention, operating as an extension of your healthcare administration and care team. An advanced wound care and preventative program can be highly successful in an environment with the right support staff. With the high demands on hospital staff, a wound care management company can absorb the responsibility of looking after bed-ridden patients.

One of their expertise is preventing the chance of pressure ulcers, reducing the time that patients are in hospital and the workload pressure on the staff. CūtisCare offers next generation wound care with their professional staff who are highly trained in various forms of wound care, including the technicalities of hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

Some of the practical ways that a wound care and preventative program can prevent pressure wounds from developing in patients are:

• Regular turning and repositioning of patients
• Elevating the heels off the bed
• Placing pillows under key areas such as the tailbone, shoulders and elbows
• Gently cleansing the skin with pH-balanced cleanser when needed
• Managing moisture due to perspiration
• Using lift sheets or equipment to transfer the patient
• Monitoring weight loss, poor appetite or gastrointestinal changes
• Applying moisturizer to skin
• Assisting with light movement
• Insuring that adequate nutrition is received

A Partnership Trained in Best Practices

Partnerships with an educated and trained wound care company will give you peace of mind that at-risk patients will be identified, cutting edge technologies will be introduced and nutritional knowledge will be administered – a complete inter-disciplinary practice.

CūtisCare is well-trained in the best practices of wound care, helping hospitals prevent pressure ulcers. Another way that this is done through thorough education on processes and research. Wound care education is an ongoing process, with constant new research and knowledge coming to the surface. CūtisCare’s online education on wound care is aims to educate hospital partners and maintain high clinical and healthcare standards.

Enlisting the services of CūtisCare to help with the prevention of pressure ulcers and keep your staff updated on wound care advancements can help alleviate a lot of stress and reduce the number of long-term patients due to pressure ulcers.