Workshop: Support Surface Selection
– Demystifying Mattress Choice and Clinical Applications
Technology Park Function Centre, Bentley
Thursday, 25 June 2020
Spurred by growing industry demand for Care of Sweden pressure care mattresses and complexity of choice, this workshop was designed to provide clinicians with an understanding of technological advances in new-generation therapeutic mattresses and to review the role of support surfaces in the prevention and management of pressure injuries.
Leading with our ‘enabling power of applied knowledge‘, the aim of this workshop was to provide clinicians with the knowledge and skills that will enable them to make intelligent pressure care mattress choices based on specific client need.
The National Pressure Injury Panel (NPIAP) defines a support surface as “a specialized device for pressure redistribution designed for the management of tissue loads, microclimate, and/or other therapeutic functions.” Support surfaces include overlays, mattresses, and cushions that redistribute pressure.
Given the extensive range of pressure care products available on the market today, Annette Terranova, clinical educator and trainer at Unicare Health, enjoyed her day demystifying mattress choices and got down to the basics of reviewing clinical objectives of support surfaces with almost 100 clinicians across 2 workshops.
Using Unicare Health’s range of pressure care mattresses by Care of Sweden, Annette stripped mattress covers back and provided an overview of how different components and technology within the mattresses worked together to provide effective pressure care.
Annette drew examples from her experience in prescribing mattresses, highlighting features to look for in support surfaces to meet individual user needs such as the heel slope feature for those at risk of developing heel pressure injuries.
She also provided mattress solutions for at-risk users who could not tolerate movements coming from an alternating mattress and introduced pulsating technology as a gentler and more effective researched method of care.
Annette reviewed the forces associated with skin and tissue injury, such as pressure, shear, friction, and excess moisture and heat in support surfaces and highlighted how different mattress features and combination of materials were effective in reducing these forces.
She also reminded clinicians to consider a user’s environmental factors such as the need for battery backup for those living remotely.
She also explained the difference between cell in cell technology, cell on cell technology and cell on foam technology and explained how different cell configurations led to different levels of immersion and envelopment to aid in pressure redistribution.
Clinicians enjoyed an insightful time at this workshop, looking inside covers, learning about technological advances in new-generation therapeutic mattresses and got themselves acquainted with new mattress and pump features.
Annette also took the opportunity to introduce Care of Sweden’s new CuroCell® IQ, set to begin a new era of pressure relief, featuring pulsating technology and a fully automatic setup to provide individualised care without the need for any user intervention.
References to Pressure Care Mattresses by Care of Sweden discussed in this workshop can be found in this catalogue.
Unicare Health is proud to be Care of Sweden’s exclusive distributor of Pressure Care mattresses in Western Australia.
Thank you
Unicare Health would like to thank everyone who took the time to attend our Support Surface Selection workshop. We are proud to be your source of expert advice for pressure care solutions and trust that our training will impact the way you continue to prescribe equipment solutions to achieve better patient outcomes.
“As industry leaders, we are thankful to be able to contribute towards building a capable generation of clinicians to work with us in our quest to improve patient care. As technologies are continuously being improved, ongoing education is the key to prescribing optimal equipment solutions for specific needs. Offering quality education is our way of giving back as a socially responsible business.”
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Posted on 28 July 2020