Nurses may have difficulty spotting the early stages of pressure ulcers in people with darker skin tones, placing patients at risk of developing more severe cases.
The study highlights a significant educational gap, with current guidelines and training materials largely designed for people with light skin tones.
Researchers also found that nurses with dark skin tones often rely on personal experience rather than formal training to recognize pressure ulcers.
The research team suggest that language adjustments could go a long way toward improving this issue. For example, using the term “discoloration” instead of “redness” to describe early signs of bedsores could help nurses take action more quickly. The study also calls for more thorough examination practices and greater awareness of skin tone diversity in assessments.
“How we train our community nurses to correctly identify these injuries is, frankly, out-of-date and does them and patients a disservice,” says Neesha Oozageer Gunowa, PhD, lead author of the study and Pathway Lead in Community Nursing at the University of Surrey in Guildford, U.K., in a news release. “Our study calls for mandatory training for all community nurses to address these gaps and help them successfully serve the diverse communities of our country.”
The study conducted a number of focus groups and interviews featuring a group of 17 community nurses from the South of England. While the majority of the group was white, the focus group included nurses with dark skin tones who shared unique perspectives on assessing pressure ulcers.
The study appears in the Journal of Advanced Nursing.
