References
Minimising pain and medical adhesive related skin injuries in vulnerable patients
Abstract
The skin is the largest and one of the most important organs of the body and as such it is essential that skin integrity is maintained to preserve normal body functions as much as possible at all times. Health professionals must endeavour to minimise any pain and trauma likely to be encountered by their patients through the use of a variety of medical products and devices that are designed to adhere to the skin, especially as the use of dermatological and wound-management products in particular, that incorporate adhesives to help keep them secure and in place, has grown in line with the increasingly ageing population and changing demographics throughout the UK. This article reviews the literature related to the causes of medical-adhesive-related skin injuries (MARSIs) and the reported patient effects, in particular pain and skin trauma and highlight some ‘at-risk’ patient groups and potential actions to minimise risk. A sterile silicone medical adhesive remover—Appeel Sterile—is introduced and the clinical benefits highlighted through the discussion of clinical evidence and case studies undertaken on a range of patients with varied aetiologies.
Use of dermatological and wound-management products that incorporate adhesives to help keep them secure and in place has grown in line with the increasingly ageing population and changing demographics throughout the UK (Office for National Statistics, 2018). Coupled with the increased recognition of a number of genetic conditions that affect the skin (such as epidermolysis bullosa (EB) (Denyer, 2011)), there is growing need for health professionals to consider not only what dressing, tape, drape, device or electrode to use, but also how to remove the same without causing any unnecessary damage to the skin (Zillmer et al, 2006). This is a current and ongoing healthcare objective, given that it was predicted that an average clinical commissioning group or health board with a catchment adult population 250 000 would be managing 19 800 wounds in 2017/18 and 25 800 wounds in 2019/20 at a cost of £45 million and £54.5 million respectively. This represents a prevalence and cost increase of 5% and 11% compared with 2012/13 (Guest et al, 2017).
Register now to continue reading
Thank you for visiting British Journal of Nursing and reading some of our peer-reviewed resources for nurses. To read more, please register today. You’ll enjoy the following great benefits:
What's included
-
Limited access to clinical or professional articles
-
Unlimited access to the latest news, blogs and video content