Lakeside Aged Care, WA
Better Practice Award for Skin Tear Management Program
A review of accident and incident statistics by staff at Lakeside revealed that the area of skin tears could benefit from a quality improvement project. Research into the cause and number of skin tears, as well as the discomfort experienced by residents, was carried out. Discussions were held with wound management experts, traditional strategies and methods of skin tear management were evaluated, information on the internet was sourced, discussions with residents were held and treatment sheets were reviewed. This research led to the decision, in consultation with residents and their families, to implement an alternative skin tear management strategy using Emu Oil, Skin Repair Oil and Skin Repair Cream.
Working with the clinical nurse manager and a natural therapies consultant, care coordinators kept full records of management and summary of treatment, including healing time, along with photos of skin tears to demonstrate healing times.
The trial revealed that these alternative management strategies were successful in reducing discomfort and in aiding the healing of fragile older skin, so now these methods are used widely. An education package has been produced by the home to support staff in the area of skin tear management.
Another benefit of the program is that residents and staff have gained an increased awareness of some of the possible causes of skin tears, along with a staff interest in developing further methods of managing skin tears when they occur.
