Toolkit

Pressure Injury Toolkit For Spinal Cord Injury and Spina Bifida

Beyond the wound - Bringing best practice to the bedside

Assessment

‘Think beyond the wound’
- Work collaboratively with other health professionals to investigate the cause AND contributing factors that impact upon wound healing and the success of the management plan.
Investigate ALL contributing factors
- Even if it is not the cause, it is necessary to investigate ALL contributing factors in order to optimise wound healing.
Re-assess wound healing regularly
- Monitor progress and reduce the risk of developing a chronic wound or other complications by using a validated wound assessment tool.
Psychosocial impact
- Monitor the psychosocial impact and other psychological and lifestyle barriers to wound healing.
Form a partnership with family and carers
- For children and adolescents, engage and collaborate with family and carers in the assessment and goal planning process.

This sample form can be used as a multidisciplinary assessment form to screen for the cause and other factors that may have contributed to the development or delayed healing of a pressure injury.
It may be a useful tool to facilitate communication within a multidisciplinary team and provide the client with a clear and consistent plan.
The form may be used to provide information when referring the client to a tertiary SCI service.