Pressure Injury Prevention

By VeriScorePrep Team · 5 min

Pressure injuries form when sustained pressure, shear, or moisture compromises skin integrity over bony prominences. Prevention is far easier than treatment.

Prevention

Reposition bed-bound patients at least every two hours and chair-bound patients every hour. Use pressure-redistributing surfaces, keep skin clean and dry, manage moisture from incontinence, and ensure adequate nutrition and hydration. Assess skin on admission and each shift.

Staging

• Stage I: non-blanchable erythema of intact skin.
• Stage II: partial-thickness skin loss with exposed dermis.
• Stage III: full-thickness tissue loss; subcutaneous fat may be visible.
• Stage IV: full-thickness loss with exposed bone, tendon, or muscle.
• Unstageable: full-thickness obscured by slough or eschar.
• Deep tissue pressure injury: persistent non-blanchable deep red, maroon, or purple discoloration.

Do not stage injuries on mucous membranes or under medical devices using the same scale — those are classified separately.