STOP Pressure Ulcer Day 2020

Thursday 19^th November is STOP Pressure Ulcer Day. Every year, the EPUAP holds this awareness event to promote the message of preventing skin damage and help the public spot the signs of pressure ulcers.

The annual event brings together healthcare professionals, the public and the media together to work towards a common goal – an issue that many people are touched by every year.

To support this year’s national campaign, we spoke to Sophie Nockels, Scarborough and Ryedale Community Tissue Viability Nurse, who told us all about how to prevent skin damage using the SSKIN technique.

Using SSKIN to prevent skin damage

• Surface: make sure your patients have the right support
• Skin inspection: early inspection means early detection - show patients and carers what to look for
• Keep your patients moving
• Incontinence/moisture: your patients need to be clean and dry
• Nutrition/hydration: help patients have the right diet and plenty of fluids

This is a simple and effective method which allows you to quickly and easily spot the signs of skin damage and pressure ulcers. We think it’s a great way for our clinicians, patients and their carers or families to stay alert and keep the skin healthy.

Keeping the skin in good form is essential when seeking to provide safe and effective care, preventing infection and further health concerns, so please do familiarise yourself with SSKIN.

How you can get involved in STOP Pressure Ulcer Day

This year is quite unlike previous years, as we are currently facing a global pandemic which has taken precedence over many of our usual activities. Despite there being no global pressure ulcer events to attend in person this year, there are many options for you and your teams to get involved with:

• Host educational activities on prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers
• Organise awareness raising events to share information
• Reach out to your local community to inform them
• Make policy makers aware about pressure ulcers
• Join the STOP pressure ulcers community on social media

To find out more about STOP Pressure Ulcer Day, please visit the website here.