AHRQ Develops New Safety Program for Healing Pressure Ulcers

A new training guide has been added to AHRQ’s online resources for helping nursing homes manage pressure ulcers. The guide, part of AHRQ's Safety Program for Nursing Homes: On-Time Pressure Ulcer Healing, includes videos and exercises for training facilitators to show nursing home staff how on-time reports can track pressure ulcers that are healing too slowly or are at risk for slow healing. Other online resources include an overview of on-time pressure ulcer healing, sample on-time reports and an assessment tool for report implementation.

AHRQ’s Safety Program for Nursing Homes: On-Time Pressure Ulcer Healing

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) created On-Time Pressure Ulcer Healing to help nursing homes with electronic medical records address pressure ulcers that are slow to heal. Pressure ulcers remain a serious problem in nursing homes despite regulatory and market approaches to encourage prevention and treatment. Pressure ulcers cause pain, disfigurement, and increased infection risk and are associated with longer hospital stays and increased morbidity and mortality. Median annual nursing home pressure ulcer prevalence was 7.5 percent in 2009, with associated costs of $3.3 billion annually.

Overview of On-Time

Introduction to On-Time Pressure Ulcer Healing

Electronic Reports

Sample Reports and Report Descriptions (PDF File, 642 KB)
Pressure Ulcer Assessment (used to populate the reports). (PDF File, 532.29 KB; Word File, 98.06 KB)

Implementation Materials

Self-Assessment Worksheet for Pressure Ulcer Healing (PDF File, 290.04 KB)
Menu of Implementation Strategies (PDF File, 86.13 KB; Word File, 45.11 KB)

Facilitator Training Materials (Train the Trainer)

Overview of On-Time
- Instructor Guide (PDF File, 811 KB)
- Slides (PowerPoint File, 1.62 MB)
Pressure Ulcer Prevention Electronic Reports
- Instructor Guide (PDF File, 1.41 MB)
- Slides (PowerPoint File, 4.32 MB)
Implementation of the Healing Reports
- Instructor Guide (PDF File, 442 KB)
- Handouts (PDF File, 571.47 KB; Word File, 715 KB)

Additional Resources

Functional Specifications (Word File, 198 KB)

More Information

If you are interested in learning more about On-Time and would like to talk with someone, please email your contact information, including the best time to be reached by phone. Send email to: On-Time@ahrq.hhs.gov and type "request followup" in the subject line.

Return to On-Time Home Page

Page last reviewed December 2016
Page originally created April 2016

Internet Citation: AHRQ’s Safety Program for Nursing Homes: On-Time Pressure Ulcer Healing. Content last reviewed December 2016. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/systems/long-term-care/resources/ontime/pruhealing/index.html