Skin protection wheelchair cushions for older nursing home residents reduce 6-month incidence of ischial tuberosity pressure ulcers compared with segmented foam cushions
- 1King's College London, Florence Nightingale School of Nursing & Midwifery, Department of Adult Nursing, London, UK
- 2Ghent University, Department of Public Health, Nursing Science Unit, Belgium
- Correspondence to Dimitri Beeckman
James Maxwell Building, 57 Waterloo Road, London SE1 8WA, UK; dimitri.beeckman{at}kcl.ac.uk
Implications for practice and research
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▪ A pressure redistributing wheelchair cushion, used in a fitted wheelchair, is recommended to reduce the incidence of sitting-acquired pressure ulcers in nursing home residents.
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▪ Selecting a wheelchair cushion must be a thought-out and well-advised decision and must be based on the expertise of a multidisciplinary team specialised in seating and mobility.
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▪ Wheelchair fit and function must be monitored and adjusted frequently to avoid missing foot and arm rests which may cause more pressure and shear on the bony prominences.
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▪ More research is needed to study the effect of repositioning protocols (posture and frequency) for at-risk patients seated in a wheelchair.
Context
When seated in a chair, the body weight causes the greatest exposure to pressure over the ischial tuberosities. …
