Mapping the Integration of Novel Technology on the Pressure Ulcer Prevention Care Pathway: An Assessment of Quality and Efficiency

Current clinical guidelines for the prevention of pressure ulcers include daily skin assessments, which are used to guide the initiation of prevention activities (e.g., repositioning). Such skin assessments can be subjective and cannot assess early signs of pressure ulcers, such as subcutaneous inflammation. A novel device that objectively alerts clinicians to such inflammatory events at specific anatomical areas of a patient’s body at increased risk for developing pressure damage is available and supports the user’s decision on increased intervention. However, the device has not yet been integrated on a broad scale into clinical care in the U.S.

This analysis compared the current guidelines-based standard of care pathway to a proposed one that uses a novel technology, the SEM Scanner, as part of pressure ulcer prevention and management in an acute care setting. Under the proposed pathway, patients would be categorized according to risk of pressure ulcer (no risk or at-risk) based on risk and skin assessments performed on admission. In at-risk patients, the SEM Scanner would be used to scan the heels and sacrum, and patients with an initial SEM scan indicative of increased risk of pressure ulcer would receive focused prevention interventions. The SEM Scanner would be used daily to alert clinicians to changes in risk.

Mapping the care pathway showed that integrating the SEM Scanner as an adjunct to the current care pathway would cause minimal disruption in clinical practice. Additionally, the analysis demonstrated that integrating the SEM Scanner would reduce the care burden associated with pressure ulcer management and permit earlier identification of increased risk of pressure ulcers.

A care pathway that integrates SEM Scanners with clinical skin assessments is likely to be efficient and non-disruptive. The care pathway warrants further investigation as a method for improving quality outcomes and reducing the costs of pressure ulcer treatment.