Conversation Mapâ„¢: a tool for the education of the caregiver on the prevention of pressure ulcers

The development of Pressure Ulcers (PU) is a very frequent, but potentially preventable, event; however having a real time picture of the phenomenon is very difficult. The estimates vary depending on the considered care setting: in the acute care wards the incidence varies between 0,4 and 38%, in the Extended Care Unit between 2,2 and 23,9%, while in the home-care setting between 0 and 17%. It is estimated that in the US it's a condition that affects around 1,5-3 million of persons, involving a healthcare expenditures of
around 5 billion of dollars per year, between 1.4 and 2.1 billion of pounds in the UK and 1 billion euros in Italy; equal to the 4% of the total costs of the National Health System. Starting from epidemiological data, it has been investigated if the caregivers of the assisted persons with PU risk know the appropriate strategies
to prevent this type of skin lesions. Therefore, in order to evaluate the need of knowledge on the prevention of Pressure Ulcers, a questionnaire with 23 questions was administered to 60 caregivers. The study revealed that 83,3% of those interviewed haven't received any information on what the PU are or on how they develop, slightly less the percentage about the information on the PU prevention. The aim was to find an answer to this need of information by developing a Conversation Mapâ„¢, to propose as a tool for the education of the caregivers on the prevention of PU. The Conversation Mapâ„¢, created by Healthy Interactions Inc., is a unique and special teaching tool: it encourages the participation of the assisted person or the caregivers in an educational moment that is both verbal and visual. In the map, that has the setting of a track and field stadium, the main points of the Pressure Ulcers prevention are covered: skin care, posture changes, anti-bedsores surfaces, nutrition and dressing as prevention. The definitions of PU and 1st stage PU
are explained, in addition to the main factors that concur to the PU development, the Braden scale and the Norton index.