Using the ‘aSSKINg’ model in pressure ulcer prevention and care planning
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

Using the ‘aSSKINg’ model in pressure ulcer prevention and care planning

Carole Young Lead Tissue Viability Specialist Nurse, Tissue Viability Team, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, England

Why you should read this article:
  • To refresh your knowledge of the identification and categorisation of pressure ulcers

  • To understand how to use the ‘aSSKINg’ model to plan and implement pressure ulcer care

  • To familiarise yourself with the risk factors for developing pressure ulcers

Pressure ulcers are painful, costly and can negatively affect a patient’s quality of life. It has long been recognised that they increase the risk of infection, prolong hospital stays and can result in death. To prevent the occurrence of pressure ulcers, nurses need to understand what a pressure ulcer is and the underlying factors that cause them. Furthermore, it is essential that they recognise why some people are more susceptible to pressure and shear forces than others, so that preventable factors can be addressed. Nursing care to prevent pressure ulcers needs to be planned, implemented and evaluated in a systematic manner following an assessment of the patient and their circumstances. The ‘aSSKINg’ (assess risk; skin assessment and skin care; surface; keep moving; incontinence and moisture; nutrition and hydration; and giving information or getting help) model ensures all fundamental aspects of pressure ulcer prevention are included in patient care. This article outlines the definitions and causes of pressure ulcers, and explains how nurses can assess, plan, implement and evaluate pressure ulcer preventative care using the aSSKINg model as a guide.

Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2021.e11674

Peer review

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

@cuh_TVNTeam

Correspondence

carole.young@addenbrookes.nhs.uk

Conflict of interest

None declared

Young C (2021) Using the ‘aSSKINg’ model in pressure ulcer prevention and care planning. Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2021.e11674

Published online: 25 January 2021

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