Improving the Lives of Individuals Living with Wounds Through Research and Education

Preventing and managing pressure injuries can be overwhelming for the individual living with them and the caregivers who look after them. The Hallisey Pressure Injury Compendium is designed to provide information about pressure injuries, and give practical advice for their prevention and management.

Intensive care unit-acquired weakness (ICUAW) is muscle weakness that occurs in critically ill patients due to prolonged bedrest, sedation and paralysis that is medically-induced for mechanical ventilation. ICUAW causes physical disability that can last for years.

The Braden Scale, developed in 1988, is used to determine an individual’s risk of developing a pressure injury. Despite the acknowledged role of unpaid caregivers in pressure injury prevention, there currently remains a lack of pressure injury risk assessment tools tailored to the education level of this caregiver population.

Lower extremity wounds are painful wounds in the legs and feet that can result from immobility (e.g. secondary to Multiple Sclerosis, spinal cord injury), peripheral vascular disease and/or diabetes. They are painful, slow to heal and cause immense pain and suffering. Many individuals living with diabetes are unable to feel changes in their feet. The […]

Pressure Injuries (also known as “bed sores” and “pressure ulcers”) are a common problem for people who have problems with mobility or sensation. Pressure injuries can delay or complicate the recovery process. Individuals who care for those with pressure injuries experience stress and need information to help them manage pressure injuries.

Our team has been developing a PI prevention and management knowledge translation App “Pressure Injury Management and Education” (“PrIME”) designed for individuals at risk of or living with PIs and the caregivers who support them. PrIME will contain information identified as high priority for individuals at risk of developing PIs and their caregivers and will include behavioural strategies related to PI prevention and management.