Pressure ulcers trial to publish

News release from the National Coordinating Centre for Health Technology Assessment

28 June 2006

HTA-funded research comparing commonly used devices for preventing pressure ulcers in hospital patients is published in the Health Technology Assessment journal series this week http://www.hta.ac.uk/project.asp?PjtId=1133. The research, led by a team from the Centre for Evidence Based Nursing at the University of York, aimed to investigate whether there are differences between alternating pressure mattress overlays and alternating pressure replacement mattresses with respect to the development of new pressure ulcers and healing of existing ulcers, as well as investigating patient acceptability and the cost-effectiveness of the different pressure relieving surfaces.

Almost 2,000 patients took part in the PRESSURE trial. The research team found that there is no difference between mattresses in terms of the proportion of patients developing new pressure ulcers, however alternating pressure mattress replacements are more likely to be cost-saving. The team found they were associated with lower overall costs (£74.50 per patient on average, mainly due to reduced length of stay) and greater benefits (a delay in time to ulceration of 10.64 days on average). More patients allocated overlays requested mattress changes due to dissatisfaction than mattress replacement patients and more than a third of patients reporting difficulties associated with movement in bed and getting in/out of bed. For full project details visit the HTA programme website, http://www.hta.ac.uk/project.asp?PjtId=1133

Notes for editors


  1. The HTA programme is a programme of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and produces high quality research information about the effectiveness, costs, and broader impact of health technologies for those who use, manage and provide care in the NHS. It is the largest of the NIHR programmes and publishes the results of its research in the Health Technology Assessment journal, with more than 400 issues published to date. The journal’s 2007 Impact Factor (3.87) ranked it in the top 10% of medical and health-related journals. All issues are available for download free of charge from the website, www.hta.ac.uk The HTA programme is coordinated by the National Coordinating Centre for Health Technology Assessment (NCCHTA), based at the University of Southampton.
  2. The National Institute for Health Research provides the framework through which the research staff and research infrastructure of the NHS in England is positioned, maintained and managed as a national research facility.  The NIHR provides the NHS with the support and infrastructure it needs to conduct first-class research funded by the Government and its partners alongside high-quality patient care, education and training.  Its aim is to support outstanding individuals (both leaders and collaborators), working in world class facilities (both NHS and university), conducting leading edge research focused on the needs of patients. www.nihr.ac.uk

Contact details

Naomi Stockley, Programme Manager (Communications)
Telephone: 02380 595 646, Email: ns5@soton.ac.uk

Helen Nikandrou, Assistant Programme Manager (Communications)
Telephone: 02380 595 584, Email: h.nikandrou@soton.ac.uk

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