Patient expectations of pressure ulcer prevention in the NHS, healthcare demands and national policy : a critical commentary

Wynn, MO

Abstract

Preventive care was recently identified as a Government priority, which is likely to affect pressure ulcer (PU) preventive care in the NHS. Contemporary economic analyses of PU prevention interventions are undermined by factors including methodological challenges and poor inter-rater reliability of PU risk assessment tools. Healthcare demands on the NHS created by PU prevention remain unclear, although the burden is high, with litigation costs rising continuously. The poorly understood economics of PU prevention may create variation in practice. Patient expectations of PU prevention may be influenced by mainstream media, national awareness campaigns and the varied information and advice offered by professionals. Patient expectations and low levels of functional health literacy may create confusion and unrealistic expectations. This article critically examines the impact of recent changes in Government priorities related to PU prevention, considering the effects of healthcare demand, economics and patient expectations.

Citation

Wynn, M. (2020). Patient expectations of pressure ulcer prevention in the NHS, healthcare demands and national policy : a critical commentary. British Journal of Nursing, 29(20), S26-S31. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2020.29.20.s26

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 1, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Nov 12, 2020
• Publication Date: Nov 12, 2020
• Deposit Date: Nov 17, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: May 12, 2021
• Journal: British Journal of Nursing
• Print ISSN: 0966-0461
• Electronic ISSN: 2052-2819
• Publisher: MA Healthcare
• Volume: 29
• Issue: 20
• Pages: S26-S31
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2020.29.20.s26
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2020.29.20.s26
• Related Public URLs: https://www.magonlinelibrary.com/loi/bjon
• Additional Information: Access Information : This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in British Journal of Nursing, copyright © MA Healthcare, after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see http://dx.doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2020.29.20.s26.