Preventing skin tears among older adults in the community

Skin tears are a prevalent issue in the older population, whether in hospital or in the community. Older adults are more vulnerable not only to the risk of developing skin tears but also to having a slow healing time and complex problems following the incidence of the skin tear, which can lead to chronic, disabling or life-threatening consequences. Health professionals in the community specifically have a duty to recognise risk and take action to prevent skin tears from occurring in the first place. They can use their knowledge to take action, which can be life changing for patients in their care. This article focuses on the most recent guidance from 2018 from Wounds UK and Wounds International; the latter held a conference to determine the absolute best practice that should be adhered to when attempting to prevent these wounds from occurring in the clinical setting.

First, it is important to clarify what a skin tear is, as there can be some confusion or misconception that it is a minor issue or something far less complex than one might think.