Article by Brian A. Raphan. Published in ‘THE PHYSICIAN & PATIENT ALLIANCE'
When a patient develops pressure ulcers, it is often a sign of neglect and can even be the result of hospital malpractice, nurse malpractice or nursing home negligence.
Any time a patient is confined to a bed or chair for a period of time and not provided proper and adequate care, the risk of pressure ulcers increases.
The National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP) defines a pressure ulcer as a “localized injury to the skin and/or underlying tissue, usually over a bony prominence, as a result of pressure, or pressure in combination with shear.” Illustrations of the stages of pressure ulcers are shown below:
Sadly, pressure ulcers are the underlying cause of mortality and morbidity for several thousand patients across the country each year. Researchers analyzing the national Medicare Patient Safety Monitoring System (MPSMS) database found that the nationwide incidence rate for hospital-acquired pressure ulcers was 4.5 percent. The five states with the highest incidence rates are New York (5.2%), Missouri (5.3%), New Jersey (5.3%), Massachusetts (5.5%) and Pennsylvania (5.9%).
The federal government, in its first year of a federal initiative to improve patient safety, recently imposed penalties aimed at reducing preventable harm. Five states saw a significant percentage of hospitals being penalized: New York, where 26% of hospitals were penalized by having their Medicare reimbursements cut by 1%; Missouri, 25%; New Jersey, 37%; Massachusetts, 22%; and Pennsylvania, 25%.
In New York State, penalized hospitals included some well-known healthcare facilities, such as Beth Israel Medical Center and New York University Langone Medical Center.
All sedentary patients are vulnerable, but the elderly and patients whose skin condition has been compromised are especially at risk. Pressure ulcers are most common on bony prominences with little protective fat or muscle (such as heels, hips, shoulders, and tail bones), and they develop when patients stay in one position for too long without shifting their weight. The constant pressure against the skin reduces blood flow to contact areas. The skin begins to break down and the tissue dies, possibly in a matter of hours. Friction and shear caused by sliding down in the bed, or being moved improperly from a stretcher to a bed can exacerbate the problem.
Pressure ulcers slow a patient’s recovery, can lead to other issues and infection and prolong hospital stays. The total annual cost for treating pressure ulcers in the U.S. is estimated at $11 billion. However, pressure ulcers (also known as bedsores and decubitis ulcers) are preventable.
To prevent pressure ulcers and damage to the skin, recent NPUAP recommendations can be summarized in seven steps:
Because these seven steps are so easy to follow, when a patient develops pressure ulcers, it is often a sign of neglect and can even be the result of hospital malpractice, nurse malpractice or nursing home negligence.
Upon admission to a hospital for another health concern the issues can go unnoticed, allowing further damage to take place in a relatively short time. This also creates liability on the part of the hospital.
In many lawsuits that we handle, the hospital is dealt a bad hand by receiving a patient from a nursing home where a skin breakdown or pressure ulcer has already begun. At times, due to dementia for example, a patient may not be able to express or know how to communicate pain upon entering the hospital. However, this is no excuse for not identifying a high-risk patient and making regular daily assessments.
To be clear, pressure ulcers are not the fault of the patient. The patient is a victim.
Medical negligence by a hospital, doctor, nurse, aide or medical technician is unacceptable and may be the cause of pain and suffering, or even result in death.
It is simply not acceptable for patients to develop bedsores or pressure ulcers while they are in the care of medical professionals and receiving medical care and treatment at a facility.
There is no doubt that hospitals and staff, from talented skilled doctors, nurses and medical professionals to support staff and administration, do their best to help and treat patients. However, protocols exist in every facility, and perhaps, it is just a matter of every individual being a bit more aware, and caring just a little more, when dealing with the elderly and at-risk patients.
By Brian A. Raphan (Principal Attorney, Law Offices of Brian A. Raphan, P.C.
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For a free consultation contact bedsores@RaphanLaw.com
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