CPD – Pressure Ulcers Stages: How to Treat Them

Some people might lose their ability to move around like healthy people. It causes them to spend most of their time in their bed or wheelchair. However, there is a risk that can cause them to have wounds from the prolonged pressure on the skin that can get worse over time and can even be life-threatening if not treated immediately. It is called a pressure ulcer. A condition that enables you to experience pressure ulcers stages, making the last part the most harmful.

Pressure ulcers, also known as bedsores, are wounds that develop because constant pressure or friction on one area of the body damages the skin. It causes the blood to stop flowing normally to the area of the skin, so the cells die, and the skin breaks down. Usually, this condition appears on the bony parts of the body that aren’t covered with much body fat. For example, the heels, elbows, hips, and tailbone.

Depending on the pressure ulcers stages, the symptoms might appear to vary. However, the most common signs of this wound are discoloured skin with a warm, spongy, or hard texture. Often, it becomes painful or itchy. Also, the bedsores can become open wounds if it’s not treated properly and will continue to get worse when the injury deepens to reach muscle or bone.

That is why there are pressure ulcers stages, to categorise the severity of the wound. Those different stages require different treatments before they get worse over time. Also, when you have movement difficulty, are underweight, are in intensive care, or have recently had surgery, there is an increasing chance of you catching it.

Course Brief

The CPD – Pressure Ulcers Stages: How to Treat Them course will help the participants to have the information and ability to treat people with bedsores. Also, they will understand that the treatment they need to do depends on the stages the patients are in. Therefore, they will achieve the learning outcome of:

1. Understanding how bedsore happens and the risk factors
2. Knowing the pressure ulcers stages
3. Prevention plans
4. Treatment approaches
5. Rules and ethical considerations

With this knowledge, the learners will have the skills to prevent, identify, and manage bedsores effectively. As a result, they can provide aid to people in need to ease their pain and even heal their wounds completely. Moreover, the participants will become better caretakers with the information they have learnt from this training.

Course Framework

Through this programme, the learners can master how to spot bedsores with the knowledge of the risk factors. After that, they will be able to tell the pressure ulcers stages and create treatment plans while following the rules and ethical considerations. With this training programme, the participants will gain pieces of information about:

• Introduction to bedsores
• The pressure ulcers stages
• Risk assessment and prevention plan
• Treatment and management
• Multidisciplinary approach to care
• Documentation, legal, and ethical consideration
• Case studies and application in the real-life

For a better result, the CCM is working with experts in this field to provide the best information from their knowledge and experience. Also, the participants have to engage in activities such as demonstrations and interactive question and answer after the training. In addition, there are going to be tests at the end of the course, and they will get the certification after completion.

Admission Requirements

There are no strict formal education requirements for the CPD – Pressure Ulcers Stages: How to Treat Them course. Hence, anyone who is interested in this training can join. This is suitable for people who have a patient care background in nursing or caregiving. Also, people who are taking care of someone who spends their time in bed or a wheelchair should have this knowledge.

What are the 4 categories of pressure ulcers?

Pressure ulcers stages have four stages which are non-blanchable erythema, partial-thickness skin loss, full-thickness skin loss, and full-thickness tissue loss. Each category has different symptoms and requires different treatment. There are also other important classifications, such as unstageable bed sores and deep tissue injury (DTI). Here are the explanations about each stage of this condition.

Stage 1: Non-blanch-able erythema

The first of the pressure ulcers stages shows intact skin with redness. When you touch it, it doesn’t turn white like normal skin does. Moreover, there are warm, firm, or soft feelings compared to the surrounding skin. It can cause pain, itching, or discomfort for someone who catches this. Important to remember that early intervention is important to prevent it from getting worse. 

Stage 2: Partial-thickness skin loss

The second of the pressure ulcers stages is when the top layer of skin, like the epidermis, appears as a shallow, open wound or blister. The wound bed will look pink or red, while there might be a clear fluid-filled blister. In this condition, there won’t be any dead tissue or deep tissue damage. But, this is where the risk of infection is getting real.

Stage 3: Full-thickness skin loss

When you reach the third level of the pressure ulcers stages, the wound gets deeper and exposes the fat tissue but not muscle, tendon, or bone. It may appear with yellow dead tissue or granulation tissue. Moreover, the wound gets deeper under the skin, and it looks like a tunnel. When you are already in this category, advanced wound care is required to prevent further deterioration.

Stage 4: Full-thickness tissue loss

If you reach the last stage of the pressure ulcers stages, it means the wound is already deep enough to expose your muscle, tendon, or even bone. The skin around the injury may appear black, which means it is already dead. There is a high risk of infection, bone infection, and other severe complications. You will need an intensive medical emergency and surgical intervention.

Other important classification

Although it is not in the pressure ulcers stages, these conditions are crucial to know. The conditions are unstageable bedsore and deep tissue injury. Unstageable bedsore is when there is skin loss where the wound is covered with dead skin, making it hard to determine the depth. On the other hand, DTI is when the skin appears dark purple or maroon due to underlying tissue damage. It can happen when there is prolonged pressure without visible surface damage.

Overcome bedsore with CCM

Bedsore is a serious condition that is caused by prolonged pressure on the skin, leading to tissue damage. This condition often affects people with limited mobility, such as confined to beds or wheelchairs. If the wound is not treated properly, it can cause worsening conditions where it is categorised in pressure ulcers stages. It ranges from skin redness to severe skin loss that exposes your muscles and bones.

Therefore, the College of Contract Management may help you prevent it from happening with the CPD – Pressure Ulcers Stages: How to Treat Them course. With this training, you will have the knowledge and skills to identify, manage, and treat bedsore accordingly. Also, there are lessons for ethical consideration, legal documentation, and real-life case studies to enhance your practical learning.

As a result, you will gain expertise in this field, where you can improve the patient’s comfort and recovery. Furthermore, it will improve the quality of care that you provide. With proper training and intervention, you can manage the pressure ulcers stages efficiently while reducing the risk of complications and improving patient well-being.

At this moment, the CPD – Pressure Ulcers Stages: How to Treat Them course is still in development. However, if you are interested, there are still interesting lessons that we can offer. When this course is ready to grab, we will share the information on this course page. If you have any questions, just contact the CCM team through email. Your happiness is our priority.