What is it about?
Pressure ulcers are a secondary complication of spinal cord injury that can interfere with daily living and, in severe cases, require surgical repairs with lengthy recovery time. We systematically reviewed interventions aimed at preventing pressure ulcers through behavior change. None of the studies we found showed significant improvements with intervention compared to control groups.
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Why is it important?
We found several methodological issues that were common across studies, including challenges with recruitment of an large enough sample, consistency of intervention delivery, and participant adherence to the interventions. Because of the methodological issues, it is not possible to determine whether or not the interventions are actually effective. Furthermore, evidence for the individual prevention behaviors for ulcer prevention that were taught to study participants is lacking.
Perspectives
What surprised me most about this study was that individual pressure ulcer prevention behaviors, like regular pressure reliefs while seated in a wheelchair, do not actually have evidence that any particular frequency prevents skin breakdown. So, even if someone is doing everything according to clinical guidelines for skin protection, these behaviors may not be sufficient.
Dr. Alison Cogan
Washington DC VA Medical Center
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Systematic review of behavioral and educational interventions to prevent pressure ulcers in adults with spinal cord injury, Clinical Rehabilitation, July 2016, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/0269215516660855.
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