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International Day Against Pressure Ulcers: in conversation with Dennis van Vliet on pressure ulcer preventionNews
Dennis Van Vliet
On this Nov. 20, the healthcare industry worldwide marks the International Day Against Pressure Ulcers, an annual reminder that pressure ulcers remain one of the most common yet most preventable complications in healthcare.
At Hospidex, we work with healthcare professionals every day around pressure relief and safe patient care. For this edition of Pressure Ulcer Day, we sat down with Dennis van Vliet, Development Manager at Hospidex. His view: “Preventing pressure ulcers doesn’t start with better checklists, but with better collaboration.”
The systemic problem: why pressure ulcers are not an individual failure
Dennis, why does pressure ulcers remain such a persistent problem, despite guidelines and risk measurements?
“Pressure ulcers don’t occur because someone ‘forgot something.’ It is almost never an individual failure. It is a confluence of circumstances in a team and environment: time constraints, staff shortages, changing priorities, limited resources….
In practice, you see that pressure relief often depends on information that is not shared, or routines that are not clear to everyone. Pressure ulcers are not a checklist problem. It is a systems problem, and so the solution must also be in the system.”
What exactly do you mean by “the system”?
“The way teams work together. How information is passed on. How quickly risks are identified. How accessible resources are. If one of those links falters, pressure relief comes under pressure.”
Why checklists and protocols are not enough for pressure ulcer prevention
Many institutions work with great emphasis on risk measurement and checklists. Why doesn’t that always work?
Dennis van Vliet: “I see that institutions work very hard, but the complexity of daily work often clashes with theory. A checklist says, ‘Reposition every 2 hours.’ But in reality, this happens:
- someone notes it in the file
- someone else thinks it has already happened
- the next shift starts without context
- and meanwhile, a patient slowly slips into risk zone 2 or 3
The problem is not that people don’t want to reposition. The problem is that information is not flowing, and there is no shared view of exactly what needs to be done.”
So what is a better approach?
“Make risks visible, concrete and shared. Sometimes a simple whiteboard helps, sometimes a digital tool, sometimes a short consultation moment. It’s about clarity and shared ownership.”
Pressure relief is about teamwork, not technology
Where do you think are the biggest gains in pressure ulcer prevention?
“In teamwork. Not in tools. Not in protocols. A healthcare team that monitors risks together, complements each other, dares to signal to colleagues and clearly agrees on who does what will always provide better pressure relief than a team that makes the individual responsible.”
But tools play a role, don’t they?
“Absolutely. Tools are essential for pressure relief, but only if they are within reach, used as intended, AND embedded in a shared workflow. Take airborne pressure distribution systems like Repose, for example. These are lightweight, easy to place, provide stable pressure distribution and are ideal for eliminating risk in all healthcare environments. But even the best solution only works in an environment where everyone knows when, why and how to deploy it.”
The day against pressure ulcers is not only about awareness, but reflection on our daily practice
What would you like care teams to take away on anti-decubitus day?
Dennis van Vliet: “That pressure ulcer prevention is not a one-day action, but a cultural choice. The international day against pressure ulcers not only asks us to reflect on high-risk patients, but also on our own way of working together: How clear is our communication? Are our resources where they should be? Is everyone aware of high-risk patients? Does everyone reposition on the same schedule? Are new team members adequately trained in pressure relief Awareness is step one. But reflection on care processes and team agreements is where you make real impact.
“For teams working with airborne pressure relief, recent case studies show that simplicity and consistency really do make a difference. For example, our TOTO + Repose CINS case study shows how subtle pressure relief combined with automation leads to fewer manual repositionings and better comfort scores, especially in high-risk patients.”
Small improvements, big impact on comfort & safety
Pressure ulcers are not only painful and stressful for patients, they are also preventable in many cases. The key lies in collaboration, consistency and simple workflow improvements. And when those basics are right, tools like Repose make all the difference in comfort, pressure distribution and safety.
Decubitus prevention is not a checklist. It is a team effort.
Learn more about the International Day Against Pressure Sores or discover our Repose pressure relief solutions.
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Kimberlie Hanna
MARKETING MANAGER
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