Reducing inpatient hospital usage for management of pressure sores after spinal cord lesions

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Abstract
Recurrent pressure sores are a devastating complication for people with spinal cord lesions as well as posing a drain on health resources. A programme of community outreach involving the long-term follow-up of people post-hospitalisation for severe pressure sores has been developed in Queensland, Australia. This service is known as SPOT (Spinal Outreach Team). The primary objective of this follow-up is to prevent recurrence of pressure sores where possible or alternatively to detect problems early so that rehospitalisation is avoided. In order to assess the effectiveness of this programme the readmission patterns of 14 patients with recurrent pressure sores were examined. The mean number of hospitalised days per patient per month were examined between 1991 and 2001. Three phases within this time frame were examined 1991–1995, no SPOT service; 1996–1998, generic SPOT service (without individual interventions) and 1999–January 2002, individualised SPOT programmes for high users. Hospital days per patient per month were significantly lower for the individualised phase than for the other two phases combined. Proactive, individually tailored approaches are recommended for individuals at high risk of readmission for pressure sores.

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