Johnson Memorial Health Services was pleased to be a part of the Safe Skin Initiative with the MHA (Minnesota Hospital Association). The program was designed to look at different areas that hospitals can improve patient outcomes. For this initiative, ideas are shared with other members of the MHA, and programs are developed to help each individual facility prevent skin breakdown. The safe skin program is important because according to AHRQ (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2008): “In 2006, there were 503,300 total hospital stays with pressure ulcers noted as a diagnosis—an increase of nearly 80 percent since 1993. Adult stays totaled $11 billion in hospital costs.”
JMHS has been on a “Road Map” to safe skin, documenting skin breakdown, and ways to decrease pressure ulcers in high risk patients. The mnemonic below is currently being used at the facility and has helped in meeting the goals of safe skin facility wide.
| S= Skin Safety Coordination and Team Approach | *Coordinate Skin safety throughout the facility *Promotes system wide communication by communicating with other departments |
| A = Accurate and Concurrent Reporting | *Data collection-Tracking and documenting all pressure related ulcers * Provide system wide learning by talking with staff on the use of certain devices and types of dressings available. |
| F=Facility Expectations and staff Education | *Communicates expectations of staff and provide education for pressure ulcer prevention |
| E=Education of patients and families | * Education to patients and families by putting literature in the admit packet for what they can expect as a patient and what we as a facility are doing to protect the patient from skin breakdown |
| S=Skin Inspection and Risk Assessment | * Braden scale has been updated to be more accurate so that proper skin prevention can be done on high risk patients. |
| K=Keep Pressure Off — minimize pressure, friction, shear |
* Once high risk skin has been detected by the Braden Scale, measures are implemented to keep pressure off of the high risk skin such as turning schedules, and floating heels. |
| I=Incontinence/ moisture skin protection |
*Barrier cream and calmoseptine ointment is used to protect the skin if patients are incontinent or they are at risk for having lots of moisture |
| N=Nutrition is Optimized | * Nutrition assessment is obtained on high risk patients and dietary and physicians notified of high risk for skin breakdown. Dietary consultations are available upon Dr. Referral. Patients are encouraged to increase water and fluids if they are not on a fluid restriction. |
Johnson Memorial Health Services was pleased to be recognized as one of the Minnesota hospitals meeting the goals of the safe skin initiative program. For more information on the program please contact Laurie Dahl, RN BS at 320-312-2125.