Healthcare providers face unprecedented challenges with higher-acuity patients, budget cuts, public demand for better health care and a growing recognition that some healthcare-acquired injuries, such as pressure ulcers, could be avoided. Given that pressure is a primary causative factor in pressure ulcer development, the latest guidelines (EPUAP-NPUAP, 2009) provide recommendations for patient repositioning, the allocation of either an Active or Reactive pressure-redistributing support surface and, for some, complete and permanent off-loading of the tissue.
