Creating a Pediatric and Neonatal Pressure Injury Prevention Program When Evidence Was Sparse or Absent: A View From Here.

Abstract

Pressure injuries are a common occurrence in the pediatric population, but only within the past decade has prevention intervention been developed specifically for the pediatric patient. At the time of the safety collaborative described, pressure injuries in children were considered nonexistent. A safety collaborative was formed to see if the pressure injury prevention guidelines for adults could be adapted to the pediatric patient. The PDSA (plan-do-study-act) quality improvement model was utilized. The collaborative brought forth not only prevention interventions specifically for the pediatric population, but the work also described medical device-related pressure injuries that were not being considered prior to the collaborative. Several national initiatives transpired that elevated pressure injury prevention of the pediatric population as a hospital safety concern.