November 16 is 2017 World Wide Pressure Injury Prevention Day

The National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP) has announced that World Wide Pressure Injury Prevention Day will be celebrated on November 16, 2017. The NPUAP serves as the authoritative voice for improved patient outcomes in pressure injury prevention and treatment through public policy, education, and research.

Pressure ulcers are an extremely common problem in health care settings, with an overall prevalence rate of 9.3% in all facilities in the United States, according to data from the most recent International Pressure Ulcer Prevalence Survey. Rates are highest in long-term acute care, with an overall prevalence of 28.8%. In home care, studies have reported incidence rates from 4% to 15% and prevalence rates from 5% to 15%. 

While the prevalence of pressure ulcers has decreased in the past decade, more work needs to be done. The objective of 2017 World Wide Pressure Injury Prevention Day and its STOP logo is to increase national awareness for and provide education on pressure injury prevention.

To this end, NPUAP has developed a number of materials that can be used for all health care settings and organizations. These can be downloaded by clicking on the links below.

• Pressure Injury Staging Poster
• Industry invitation to participate in World Wide PI Awareness Day
• Organization invitation to participate in World Wide PI Awareness Day
• Pressure Injury Fact Sheet – full color
• Pressure Injury Patient Guide – full color
• Pressure Injury Patient Guide – white
• Pressure Injury Informational Poster – full color
• Pressure Injury Informational Poster – white
• Medical Device Related Pressure Injury Poster
• Hospital Press Release – fillable Word document
• Nursing Home Press Release – fillable Word document