ENSURING COMPLIANCE: AUTOMATED EVIDENCE OF REPOSITIONING ON ACTIVE MATTRESS
Introduction:
Pressure injuries result from prolonged pressure on the skin, leading to reduced blood flow and subsequent tissue damage (1).
Active mattresses, which help redistribute pressure and improve circulation, are commonly used to prevent these injuries (2). However, their effectiveness depends on regular patient repositioning (3,4,5,6) . Despite recommendations from health organizations such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) (4), the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (EPUAP) (1), and NHS England (6), consistent repositioning remains a challenge due to caregiver workload and compliance issues.
This study investigates the use of history of use (HUS) reports from a novel active mattress (2), to monitor and ensure compliance with autofirm repositioning protocols , aiming to improve pressure injury prevention (6).
Figure 1.
The autofirm (static) mode should be used to stabilize the mattress. This makes repositioning easier and safer for patient and staff alike.
Methods:
A case study approach was used involving a 75 kg mannequin placed on an active mattress. The autofirm repositioning mode was activated every two hours with significant gaps during the night and weekends. The History of Use (HUS) report (Figure 2) logged a detailed record of compliance and non compliance.
The primary data source was the HUS report, which was analyzed to identify any gaps in care, and areas for improvement in adherence to repositioning schedules.
Figure 2. Areas highlighted in green demonstrate that the auto firm repositioning protocol was activated, once every two hours, as per the patient's care plan.
The areas highlighted in yellow, demonstrate that the auto firm repositioning protocol was not used, in some instances for 36 hours.
Results: The results indicated that the HUS report effectively documented every instance where the autofirm repositioning mode was activated. Significant care gaps were also identified when the autofirm mode was not used, highlighting a deviation in care that could lead to pressure injuries (1,4,5,6).
Conclusions: The history of use (HUS) report is a valuable tool for monitoring and ensuring compliance with repositioning protocols on a novel active mattress. By providing a detailed log of repositioning activities, HUS reports help identify compliance issues and care gaps that can lead to pressure injuries.
Regular review of history of use reports can enhance patient care by ensuring consistent repositioning, thereby preventing pressure injuries and improving overall outcomes in healthcare settings
