Predictable and preventable: pressure injuries need to stop

Pressure injuries are expensive for our health system, hugely distressing for patients and, most of all, preventable and predictable.

That is according to UTS professor of nursing Debra Jackson.

"They are so distressing," she said. "Once a person gets a pressure injury, most people cannot comprehend the catastrophic effect of it.

"And patients shouldn't get them because they are preventable and predictable. We know how to stop them."

Far from the image of the uncaring nurse and doctor being the cause, Jackson believes that clinicians are often under such pressure that some things slip under the radar.

One of Jackson's big concerns is the knock-on effect of pressure injuries. Once you get one, you're at a higher lifetime risk for another, and it can happen to anyone at any age.

Jackson spoke with Nursing Review about pressure injuries and what clinicians can do to prevent them.

Get the news delivered straight to your inbox

Receive the top stories in our weekly newsletter Sign up now