Mental health drug and alcohol skin integrity champions as part of a district-wide model of care for wound prevention and management

Abstract

Pressure injuries are a significant problem across the healthcare system. Historically, the focus of prevention programs has been in acute care settings, but skin vulnerability has been recognised in other settings, in particular where consumers are older and frail. In our health district, we sought to extend a model of care for wound prevention and management into the mental health and drug and alcohol (MHDA) services where many consumers are not necessarily in the older age group but are frail due to their mental and physical morbidities. The model was a district-wide program which relied on front line clinicians in each unit taking on the role of a ‘skin integrity champion’. Champions were recruited, inducted and supported to drive practice change in their units. The need for change was derived from an auditing framework developed specifically for measuring pressure injury prevention bundles of care in mental health and drug and alcohol settings. Baseline data demonstrated the need to improve pressure injury risk assessment and risk reduction. Additional strategies to support the model of care were refined by a focus group with the skin integrity champions which determined what the model needed to provide in these unique settings. Serial data demonstrated improvement in identifying consumers at risk and implementing pressure injury prevention strategies.