Assessment, prevention and management of skin tears in older people
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

Assessment, prevention and management of skin tears in older people

Kimberly LeBlanc Academic chair, Nurses Specialized in Wound, Ostomy and Continence Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Karen Ousey Professor of skin integrity, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, England

Why you should read this article:
  • To understand how skin tears commonly develop in older people with fragile skin

  • To appreciate that while skin tears are normally acute, they can develop into chronic, non-healing wounds

  • To learn more about prevention, evaluation and treatment of skin tears in older people

Skin tears are common injuries that result from mechanical forces. Older people with fragile skin are at greater risk of this type of wound. They are usually categorised as acute wounds that typically heal in 7-21 days but the healing process can be disrupted, leading to chronic, non-healing wounds. They have the potential to compromise quality of life and disrupt daily activities, so it is important to identify risk factors and implement prevention strategies for those at risk. An interdisciplinary approach has a pivotal role in promptly and precisely identifying skin tears, and the use of evidence-based interventions for efficient skin damage management can enhance the recovery process. This article adopts a case study approach to explore the prevention, evaluation and treatment of skin tears, using the case of an individual living with a skin tear in a community setting.

Nursing Older People. 36, 5, 22-28. doi: 10.7748/nop.2024.e1462

Peer review

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

Correspondence

chair@wocinstitute.ca

Conflict of interest

None declared

LeBlanc K, Ousey K (2024) Assessment, prevention and management of skin tears in older people. Nursing Older People. doi: 10.7748/nop.2024.e1462

Published online: 26 June 2024

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