Summary

You have just completed Topic 2: Skin Anatomy and Development of a Pressure Ulcer.

The key point to remember is that risk factors are related to three major categories:

• unrelieved pressure secondary to decreased mobility, decreased activity and impaired sensory perception
• extrinsic factors such as shear, friction and skin moisture
• intrinsic factors such as nutrition, oxygen delivery, demographics, chronic illness, pain and medications.

Given the number of potential risk factors for developing PUs, it is clear that a thorough assessment of the patient/client is required in order to identify or eliminate the presence of these factors.

Now that you have completed this topic, you should be able to:

• list the normal functions of skin
• describe the three primary layers of skin
• discuss the physiology leading to the development of PUs
• describe PU risk factors.