Nurses examining the skin of a patient for pressure injuries

During a pressure injury prevalence study earlier this month, nurses from across the hospital examined the skin of approximately 250 patients for pressure injuries.

Earlier this month, Mount Sinai Hospital’s nursing team carried out quarterly study that gives a snapshot of the skin health of inpatients across the hospital. Over the course of one morning, nurses examined the skin of approximately 250 patients –from tiny babies in the NICU, to patients on medical and surgical units— for pressure injuries.

“The Pressure Injury Prevalence study is a big undertaking each quarter. It’s important because it allows us to compare and trend our progress over time and helps us identify gaps and barriers in our current process and practices. Nely Amaral, Interim Lead Corporate Nursing Quality and Performance “The study enables us to have conversations and discussion about the current state and what action we may need to take to improve practice, whether that’s in education, documentation, or resources and tools for pressure injury prevention.”

Working to prevent hospital acquired pressure injuries is one of Sinai Health System’s Quality Aims. It’s also part of the hospital’s journey to achieving Magnet status, a credential that measures nursing excellence.

The pressure injury prevalence study team is led by Julie Tjan-Thomas and Monica Fecea, Clinical Nurse Specialists and supported by a team of 15-20 nursing, respiratory therapy staff and students on the individual units.

A group photo of the team involved in carrying out a quarterly hospital-wide pressure injury prevalence study

A team of around 20 clinicians works together to complete the hospital-wide pressure injury prevalence study over the course of one morning.