German study condemns improper use of anti-decubitus mattresses:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
The improper use of anti-decubitus mattresses in is actually contributing the rise in decubitus incidence in Germany, says Ute Pilzecker, director of the medical care insurance division of the sickness funds' medical service in Schleswig Holstein. An examination of 554 care homes in Schleswig-Holstein last year revealed that the likelihood of patients getting decubitus ulcers addressed was high in only half of those surveyed. Staff were simply not aware of how to treat these ulcers and in only 20% of cases were sufficient measures taken to prevent them. In one particular case a patient weighing 35 kilos was placed on an anti-decubitus alternating system pressure mattress adjusted to accommodate 80 kilos. The hardness of the mattress thus caused the decubitus ulcer.