Tampa, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/27/2012 -- Long-term care providers have many tools to help assist in wound care, but are they aware of the latest technology and techniques to help residents? Wound care specialists note that nursing home staffs need to use updated tracking systems and support surfaces to lessen problems that residents face when they are immobile or incontinent.

“One of the latest products is the Skin IQ mattress coverlet that wicks away moisture, controls odors, and decreases friction and shear on a patient’s pressure points,” said Greg Grambor, president of Vascular PRN. “Plus the in-use cost-per-day is only about $4.15, not $30 like Low Air Loss mattresses, yet the clinical outcomes are the same.”

Existing pressure ulcers can lessen, and new ones can be prevented, when skin temperature is lowered or stabilized and moisture is removed from the contact points. Resident mattresses, wheelchairs, and other support surfaces need to have therapeutic benefits to prevent wounds and heal ones that occur due to unavoidable factors.

Successful wound care can also be achieved when regulatory requirements are vigilantly adhered to along with the best tracking methods to individually monitor each resident. The treatment of pressure ulcers should include nursing home staff being well versed on computer tracking programs and marking the status of each resident as changes happen.

Resident records should note that wound depth and size decreases along with less drainage. It is equally important to record when wounds are persistent or a wound declines. Complete documentation is a key step to increasing positive patient outcomes. Computer programs can also assist in reminding staff about a resident’s turning schedules and not missing nutritional information that can aid in the patient’s wounds decreasing.

“Nursing homes are under major pressure to reduce their costs,” said Grambor. “The Skin IQ is not only more affordable as a product, but it does more to prevent non-reimbursable pressure ulcers – one of the ‘never events’ – that nursing homes battle every day.”

To learn more about the Skin IQ and how it can help in long-term care settings, visit http://www.vascularprn.com or call 800.886.4331. On the site, visitors will also find out about Vascular PRN’s other products for sale or rent such as SCD boots, lymphedema pumps, and sequential compression devices.