Free resource guide for clinicians on how to select the best support surface for pressure care

Focusing on its Softform Premier Active 2 system, Invacare’s free resource guide provides an overview of pressure care and mattress selection, and offers guidance to clinicians based on best practice and guidelines.

The guide – ‘Clinical Introduction to Pressure Care and Mattress Selection’ – is split into three different sections for ease of reference: Pressure care, Support surfaces, and Softform Premier Active 2.

Pressure care

This area looks at what a pressure ulcer is, what can cause a pressure ulcer and the areas of the body which are at risk of pressure damage.

It uses helpful diagrams to show what areas are at risk of pressure damage, depending on what position the client is in, such as the seated position, the supine position or the lateral position.

Additionally, it explores the different pressure ulcer classifications, from stage 1 to stage 4. Then, the guide outlines the impact of pressure ulcers, including the cost to the NHS per year, the cost of treating a pressure ulcer and how it can affect patients’ quality of life.

Invacare’s guide also focuses on pressure ulcer risk assessment and what factors healthcare professionals should look at when conducting an assessment on a patient, which are: reduced mobility, restlessness, continence issues, dry skin, poor circulation, neurological deficit, medication, poor nutrition, disabled, co-morbidities, pain and poor posture.

Support surfaces

Within the guide, Invacare says: “Selecting the appropriate support surface can be a complex process. It should always start with the needs of the individual.”

In this section, Invacare underlines what support surfaces are and how they can help with pressure redistribution; support surfaces include mattresses, overlays, cushions and seating. The guide explains the different type of support surfaces available, including active, reactive and integrated bed systems.

Furthermore, it outlines to clinicians how they can select the appropriate support surface for their client. This involves taking into account the client’s needs; the effectiveness of the support surface in the prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers; and the surface’s comfort and transfer abilities.

Healthcare professionals also need to consider the existing pressure damage, the patient’s size and weight, how mobile the patient is, pre-existing conditions, the care environment in which the surface will be used, repositioning requirements, equipment compatibility and current guideline recommendations.

Invacare Softform Premier Active 2

The final section of the free guide discusses Invacare’s Softform Premier Active 2 hybrid mattress and how it can assist with pressure care, backing up its claims with clinical evidence and example case studies of the support surface in use.

In one clinical study entitled ‘A clinical audit of the Softform Premier Active mattress in two acute care of the elderly wards’ which was published in Wounds UK in 2008, a study over a six-month period was undertaken to compare the effects of using the Softform Premier hybrid mattress to a standard air mattress on pressure ulcer incidence in two acute care of the elderly wards.

50 patients were included in the study with a mean age of 82.4 and Waterlow scores ranging from 17-29 and mean number of chronic condition of 3.2. All patients on the wards were emergency admissions with a variety of causes, the most common being acute infection.

Each ward was provided with Softform Premier Active mattresses and cushions. Patients considered to be at high risk of pressure ulcer development were randomly allocated either a Softform Premier Active system or a standard air mattress.

Results revealed a pressure ulcer incidence of eight percent in both groups, which was considered to be ‘unexpectedly low in such a vulnerable, high risk population’. The study concluded that for this population, the Softform Premier Active system was as effective in reducing pressure ulcer incidence as the standard alternating pressure air system.

The guide finishes with a series of reviews from various clinicians praising the Softform Premier Active 2 mattress.

One clinician’s review stated: “During the rehabilitation process, we have found that the Invacare Softform Premier Active 2 allows our patients to practice transfers from bed to wheelchair with greater ease, this is owing to being able to deflate at the point of transfer and allowing the patient stability, with balance from a non-moving surface.”

To view the free resource guide, click here