Prevention of pressure ulcers from the perspective of frailty, pre-frailty, and health and social inequalities: an opinion paper

Pressure ulcers affect many people in acute care and community settings. People with pressure ulcers may have delayed ulcer healing due to various factors, such as malnutrition and frailty. Prevention of pressure ulcers by addressing individual risk factors is essential, as it can help maintain skin integrity and functional ability, prevent or delay frailty, reduce care-associated costs, and improve quality of life [1]. There are key factors leading to both frailty and pressure ulcers but the psychosocial aspects of these factors are often overlooked. In the current literature and clinical practice, the key concepts related to the bio-psychosocial aspects of frailty and pressure ulcer prevention are under-explored and not fully considered as part of routine care services. To address this gap in research and practice, a group of experts were invited to an online panel discussion. The expert panel included academics, researchers, and specialist clinical professionals in key leadership roles such as consultant geriatricians, advanced nurse practitioners and tissue viability nurse specialists, the national lead for older person services in Ireland, and the lead person for the National Wound Care Strategy in England (further details of all panel members are available in Table 1).