Two clinical practice guidelines provide recommendations on prevention, treatment
TUESDAY, March 3, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Recommendations have been developed for the prevention and management of pressure ulcers, and published as two American College of Physicians (ACP) clinical practice guidelines in the March 3 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Amir Qaseem, M.D., Ph.D., from the ACP and University in Pennsylvania Health System in Philadelphia, and colleagues conducted a systematic review of the literature to develop recommendations based on comparative effectiveness of preventive interventions for pressure ulcers. The ACP recommends that clinicians perform risk assessment to identify patients at risk of developing pressure ulcers. For patients who are at increased risk, the ACP recommends that clinicians should choose advanced static mattresses or advanced static overlays; the ACP recommends against alternating air-mattresses or alternating-air overlays.
In a second guideline, Qaseem and colleagues reviewed the literature to develop clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of pressure ulcers. The ACP recommends use of protein or amino acid supplementation to reduce wound size in patients with pressure ulcers. Hydrocolloid or foam dressings are also recommended to reduce wound size for patients with pressure ulcers. The ACP further recommends electrical stimulation as an adjunctive therapy to accelerate healing.
“Up to $11 billion is spent annually in the United States to treat bedsores and a growing industry has developed to market various products for pressure ulcer prevention,” David Fleming, M.D., president of the ACP, said in a statement. “ACP’s evidence-based recommendations can help physicians provide quality care to patients while avoiding wasteful practices.”
Several authors from the treatment guideline disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical and medical technology industries.
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