Pressure injuries commonly occur when a patient is unable to move around freely and points of the body are then put under pressure, generally a result of lying down. Common injury sites are the back of the head, shoulder blades, elbows, lower back and heels, the parts of the body that come into most contact with a patient's bed.
To try and combat the prevalence of these painful sores on the head, commercial and custom made products-which are thought to assist with supporting the head-are often used to assist in redistributing the pressure experienced when lying down. However, there is little evidence-based support for these products. The majority of these are used based on clinicians' experience or anecdotal evidence and as such, this may or may not be providing the best outcomes for patients.
Researchers supported by The Common Good are undertaking a project that will assess the pressure redistribution properties of both commercial and custom made products with the intensive care unit of The Prince Charles Hospital.
The study hopes to increase the knowledge and understanding of the benefits these products can provide and help to establish clear evidence based standards and guidelines for patient care in the prevention of pressure injuries.
A reduction in pressure injuries will help to improve patient outcomes by reducing the risk of infection, reducing recovery times and prevent prolonged hospital stays – opening up hospital beds and treatment for more patients in need.
Support Homesickness with Coles! From Wednesday 28 April until Tuesday 11 May, support the national campaign by purchasing a $2 donation card at the checkout. In addition, buying a pizza or pasta sauce from the Mum’s Sause range (which are available all year round) at Coles supermarkets, with 50 cents from each product sold supporting children’s hospitals.
In the best interests of the health and safety of our valued participants, visitors, athletes, staff and volunteers, a difficult decision has been made to postpone the remainder of the Brisbane Cycling Festival for 2021.
Lite n’ Easy will make a donation to The Common Good on behalf of customers who restart their Lite n’ Easy healthy meal delivery service between now and April 3.