Implantação do protocolo assistencial de prevenção e tratamento de úlcera de pressão no Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre

Pressure ulcer is a public health problem, whose prevention requires a multidisciplinary team. Its prevalence lies between 3-14% among hospitalized patients, according to the international literature. Due to the complexity of the problem, since pressure ulcer has multifactorial causes, it is imperative to adopt institutional and systematic preventive measures involving the whole nursing team. To better implement these prevention measures, a Care Protocol for Prevention and Treatment of Pressure Ulcer was created, involving several professionals. Nurses participating in the Program of Prevention and Treatment of Wounds and Continuing Education were responsible for implementing the measures in inpatient wards. Bornedave, cited by Pereira in his study on educational practices in health sciences, was the educational theoretical reference for the process of consolidating pressure ulcer prevention. Participants in such process (nursing team) are not only mere receivers of information, but also active and transforming agents of their reality. A scale of risk assessment for pressure ulcer was used at patient’s admission. Other innovations and equipment were also part of the implementation of this Care Protocol.