Skin tears in the aging population: Remember the 5 Ws.

Vanzi, Valentina; LeBlanc, Kimberly

Skin tears represent a relevant clinical consequence of age-associated skin vulnerability, and are extremely common among frail and older individuals. They are acute wounds with the potential to be closed by primary intention, however they are often mismanaged and misdiagnosed and transition to become chronic and complex wounds. Reported skin tear prevalence suggests they are a growing healthcare problem which have a profound impact on the health and wellbeing of affected individuals and a great financial burden to healthcare systems. With the aging global population, it can be assumed that the prevalence of skin tears will continue to increase proportionally with the aging population. In order to minimize the impact of skin tears clinicians must to be aware of what skin tears are, who is at risk, why and when they occur, and how to manage skin tears when they do occur. The purpose of this article is to assist clinicians with the prediction, prevention, assessment and management of skin tears among the aging population across healthcare sectors.

SKIN disease diagnosis; SKIN disease prevention; SKIN injuries; SKIN disease treatment; DIFFERENTIAL diagnosis; PHYSICIANS; OLD age; SKIN diseases; DISEASE risk factors

EWMA Journal, 2018, Vol 19, Issue 1, p15

1609-2759

Academic Journal