J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 9 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 5 1
L
ike most nurses working in busy hospitals, I've seen
some pretty horrific pressure injuries in my time. Not
every day, thankfully, but we all know that lying on an
operating table for several hours can be a recipe for dis-
aster. But are occasional pressure injuries inevitable?
The nurses at our hospital fervently believed the answer was no —
that we could and should do better. After all, patients who come in for
surgery don't expect to go home with necrotic injuries on their faces
— or anywhere else, for that matter.
As nurses, we decided to tackle this issue from the bottom up,
Making Pressure Injuries a Thing of the Past
Our approach has all but eliminated those devastating skin wounds.
Heather Boyle, MS, RN, ACNS-BC, CNS-CP, CNOR | Albany, N.Y.
• SHEARED SKIN A pressure injury covers a large portion of a patient's buttocks.
Heather
Boyle,
MS,
RN,
ACNS-BC,
CNS-CP,
CNOR
