Speakers
Description
Background/Rationale:
Across our five hospital sites, annual rental air surface costs exceeded $1.2 million, yet hospital-acquired pressure injury (HAPI) rates remained unchanged. Despite organization-wide implementation of gel surfaces in 2022, rental utilization remained high. Key contributing factors included limited staff knowledge of surface indications, functions, and costs, underuse of owned resources, and lack of accountability for identifying and discontinuing unnecessary rentals.
Aim/Purpose:
To ensure owned surfaces are used first and rental surfaces only when clinically indicated, reducing unnecessary rental costs while ensuring the right patient receives the right surface at the right time.
Methods/Implementation Approach:
Embedding the assessment and Management of Pressure Injuries for the Interprofessional Team BPGs on a multicomponent approach a dedicated Clinical Scholar for surfaces was established to provide accountability and clinical oversight. The role included comprehensive education on owned and rental surfaces, weekly site wide audits of rental use, real time bedside education, and patient reassessment using standardized skin and risk assessments. Arjo Express was implemented to streamline ordering, discontinuation, and tracking. Weekly audit reports and monthly leadership reviews supported continuous evaluation and improvement. A rental surface scoring tool was developed and is currently undergoing validation.
Results/Outcomes:
Annual rental costs were reduced to 750,000 since the start of this work, alongside a reduction in HAPI incidence by 6.59%. Utilization of owned surfaces increased, staff decision-making improved, and satisfaction was reported among frontline staff, managers, and leadership.
Lessons Learned & Implications for Practice:
Aligning accountability, clinical expertise, and system-level oversight reduced costs while improving patient outcomes. Ongoing bedside education, standardized tools, and centralized digital tracking were critical to sustainable change.
Author(s) Credentials and Title
Lee Bateman APN
RN, MClScWH, BN, NSWOC, WOCC(C), IIWCC
Delight Sojan RN NSWOC
Tanja Groeneveld RN BScN MBA
Clinical Manager Professional Practice
What RNAO BPG or tool/toolkit is your abstract related to?
Assessment and Management of Pressure Injuries for the Interprofessional Team
| Organization Name | Niagara Health |
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