A clinical audit of the Softform Premier ActiveTM mattress in two acute, care of the elderly wards

Since the pioneering work of Norton et al (1975) the relationship between pressure ulcer development and the elderly has been recognised. Bliss (2000) identified that the risk of pressure ulcer development increases with the severity of illness in older patients. Given the increasing ability of medicine to sustain life in the most fragile of individuals, and with an ageing population, it is clear that there are growing numbers of frail elderly patients who are at high risk of pressure ulcer development (Waldron, 2006). It is vital that the preventative care provided to these vulnerable individuals is based upon the best available clinical guidance and is regularly audited to confirm its efficacy (Cooper et al, 2006). In the early 1990s there was an increased awareness of the role that pressure-reducing support surfaces could play in the prevention of pressure ulcers and of the need to investigate the effectiveness of the products used (Young,1992).