The influence zone: a critical performance measure for negative pressure wound therapy systems

The published work of the author and his research group, to determine the strain sensitivity threshold that triggers or promotes the collective migration of fibroblasts, revealed that 0.5% strains are...

Moisture-associated skin damage: a framework to guide decision making

The authors propose using the TIME Clinical Decision Support Tool (CDST) (Moore et al, 2019) to approach MASD effectively. TIME stands for:.

The state of wound assessment tools in Singapore: an evaluation study

This study aimed to evaluate how well the existing WATs used in Singapore and seven other well-established WATs benchmark against evidence-based criteria. The study adopted an action evaluation...

The impact of nutrition on pressure ulcer healing

Reflections on the World Union of Wound Healing Societies conference

A deep-dive thematic analysis of low-harm hospital-acquired pressure ulcers

Not all NHS organisations perform root cause analysis (RCA) investigations for low-harm HAPUs. However, in the author's experience, organisations that embrace all available learning from these...

Leg ulcer service provision in NHS hospitals

This audit aims to explore current leg ulcer services including the provision of compression therapy for inpatients affected by leg ulcers in hospitals..

Facial ulcers in patients with COVID-19 admitted to ICU: review of the evidence

A multi-case research study approach, using secondary data, was used to critically analyse the development of pressure ulcers in COVID-19 patients admitted to ICU and nursed in prone position. A case...

The challenges of wound management for hidradenitis suppurativa

Painful chronic wounds appear with discharge, odour, and complications such as infection and tunnelling, which can lead to scarring and disfigurement (Figure 2). Often reduced mobility and physical...

The benefits of using a first generation SEM scanner versus an equipment selection pathway in preventing HAPUs

At the start of the PU improvement work in 2012–2013 there was a rise in reporting of all PU in acute sites, as was expected. Once improvement work started to identify effective strategies, a...

The aetiology of medical device-related pressure ulcers and how to prevent them

The aetiology of MDRPUs is exemplified here through two common clinical scenarios—of a CPAP mask that is being used extensively in the current COVID-19 pandemic (Figure 2), and of a doughnut-shaped...

The influence of anaemia on pressure ulcer healing in elderly patients

Anaemia is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO)(2011) as a blood disorder in which haemoglobin levels are below 120 g/litre in females and 130 g/litre in males. This is a condition...