Staff in West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust have come up with a low-tech solution towards combating pressure sores.
Nurses in Watford, St Albans and Hemel Hempstead hospitals have produced a cardboard clock, measuring the length of time a patient has been in bed or a wheelchair, and when they need moving.
For some people, this can be as often as every fifteen minutes, while others may need to moved only once every two hours.
Natalie Forrest, director of nursing said: “This simple idea is already having a hugely positive impact on our patients.
“We have seen a definite reduction in the number of pressure sores and we are finding that fewer patients are experiencing discomfort than they were previously.”
Between four and ten per cent of all hospital patients in the UK will develop at least one pressure sore, and for elderly people with mobility problems, this can be as high as 70 per cent.
If left untreated, they can cause extensive damage to the skin, lead to life-threatening infections and may require surgery.
Jason Falinski, Managing Director of CareWell Health, said that in Australia the average bed sore was now costing over $50,000 to treat. "Prevention really is better than the cure, when it comes to bed sores."
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