Pressure ulcer prevention in palliative care 1: results of a UK survey

Pressure ulcer prevention is an important aspect of palliative care nursing. This article reports part 1 of the results of a postal questionnaire survey of all 206 palliative care inpatient units listed in the St Christopher’S information service hospice directory. The key areas surveyed were current pressure ulcer prevention policies in use in UK palliative care units and current practice in relation to pressure ulcer risk assessment. Issues arising from these results are also discussed: the key elements of a pressure ulcer policy and the role and timing of pressure ulcer risk assessment.