Preventing and recognising skin tears using a standardised approach
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

Preventing and recognising skin tears using a standardised approach

Joanna Blackburn Research fellow for the Institute of Skin Integrity and Infection Prevention, Department of Nursing and Midwifery, School of Human and Health Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, England
Karen Ousey Professor of skin integrity and director for the Institute of Skin Integrity and Infection Prevention, Department of Nursing and Midwifery, School of Human and Health Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, England

Why you should read this article:
  • To understand why older people are particularly susceptible to skin tears

  • To identify the factors that can increase the risk of an individual developing skin tears

  • To ensure your knowledge of best practice regarding skin tear prevention and recognition is up to date

Skin tears, defined as traumatic wounds caused by mechanical forces, can be debilitating for individuals, causing pain and reduced mobility. Although skin tears can develop throughout the lifespan, older age can make the skin increasingly susceptible to this type of injury. Studies have found wide variation in the incidence and prevalence of skin tears, in part because of suboptimal recognition and reporting practices among healthcare professionals. Effective prevention of skin tears requires a standardised approach to risk assessment, prevention, recognition and classification, such as that offered by the International Skin Tear Advisory Panel (ISTAP) best practice recommendations. This article examines the literature on the incidence, prevalence, prevention and recognition of skin tears, and outlines some of the ISTAP best practice recommendations on risk assessment, prevention and recognition. The authors also consider the need for patient and healthcare professional education to optimise the prevention of skin tears.

Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2023.e12066

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Correspondence

J.Blackburn3@hud.ac.uk

Conflict of interest

None declared

Blackburn J, Ousey K (2023) Preventing and recognising skin tears using a standardised approach. Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2023.e12066

Published online: 13 November 2023

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