Skin in the Game: A Hands-on Demonstration to Identify Pressure Injury and Risk in Diverse Skin Tones

Course Description:

Discover the critical role of comprehensive skin and soft tissue assessment in preventing pressure injuries. Clinicians will develop practical skills to conduct routine, systematic assessments, including accurate evaluation across diverse skin tones. This course emphasizes early identification of pressure-related skin and tissue damage using visual inspection, palpation, and emerging assessment technologies to support timely, effective prevention strategies.

Course Objectives:

• Examine the clinical importance of skin and soft tissue assessments in pressure injury prevention.
• Demonstrate routine skin and tissue assessment, including evaluation across diverse skin tones.
• Identify early indicators of skin breakdown and pressure-related damage using visual, tactile, and advanced technology.

Key Takeaways:

• It is imperative that all our institutions use a validated screening tool for both skin assessment and malnutrition on admission to the hospital.
• Comprehensive skin assessment is an essential component of pressure injury prevention programs and should be completed on admission, every shift, change in patient condition, or transfer to a new area.
• Assessment of skin and soft tissue can be challenging with darkly pigmented skin. Using enhanced assessment techniques, including technology, can be beneficial in capturing pressure injuries before they are visibly seen.

Related Questions:

• What is the purpose/significance of a comprehensive skin assessment in acute care?
  A comprehensive skin assessment helps establish the patient’s baseline skin condition upon admission. It enables clinicians to detect early signs of pressure injury or skin tears created by immobility and medical devices, as well as skin lesions and conditions, or contributing factors such as excessively dry skin or moisture-associated skin damage that predispose patients to pressure injuries.
  
• How do I integrate a comprehensive skin assessment into my clinical workflow?
  There are several opportunities to perform skin assessments, such as when listening to bowel sounds, putting on heel boots, checking an IV site, applying oxygen, or whenever you are moving a patient, providing care, or removing equipment.
• What specific considerations do I need to keep in mind when visually assessing diverse skin tones?
  When visually assessing diverse skin tones, be sure to use adequate lighting and avoid fluorescent sources, compare the assessed skin area with the surrounding unaffected area, and accompany visual inspection with assessment of temperature, erythema, and blanching through tactile inspection and palpation. Use augmented visual technology when possible.