Learning objectives

At the end of this Masterclass, participants will be able to:

• describe the etiology and pathophysiology of pressure ulcer development;
• identify risk factors for pressure ulcer development;
• evaluate pressure ulcer risk assessment methods and procedures;
• explain the impact of pressure ulcers on patients, carers, organisations and on the society;
• diagnose and classify pressure ulcers;
• describe the association between pressure ulcers, quality of care, and patient safety;
• describe the evidence about support surfaces (cushions and mattresses), heel preventive devices, nutrition, and repositioning to prevent and treat pressure ulcers;
• recommend effective interventions to prevent pressure ulcers and adapt the interventions to specific patient populations and contexts;
• recommend effective interventions for local treatment of pressure ulcers and adapt the interventions to specific patient populations and contexts;
• list indications and contra-indications for wound dressings, biological dressings, growth factors and biophysical agents for the treatment of pressure ulcers;
• describe best practices for cleansing, debridement, assessment and treatment of infection and biofilms;
• describe the etiology and pathophysiology of Incontinence Associated Dermatitis (IAD) development.
• diagnose and classify IAD and develop a tailored prevention and treatment protocol for the own organisation.
• develop a tailored pressure ulcer prevention and treatment protocol for the own organisation;
• describe the role of surgery to treat pressure ulcers;
• apply effective techniques for patient repositioning;
• evaluate the strengths and limitations of pressure ulcer guidelines;
• discuss the challenges related to clinical trials in the domain of pressure ulcers;
• discuss methods and educational strategies for implementing pressure ulcer prevention and treatment protocols in practice.