EUROPEAN PRESSURE ULCER ADVISORY PANEL

EPUAP WORKING GROUPS AND PEPUS STUDY
Progress Reports

Over the past few months, three EPUAP Working Groups have been particularly active. In April, members met in the Netherlands to progress discussions upon contact pressure measurements upon beds and mattresses. This group, led by Dr Alastair McLeod (England, e-mail: alastair.mcleod@hunhcare.co.uk), will report their progress during the Le Mans Open Meeting with a position paper published in the EPUAP Review next year. The last meeting of the working group (Photograph 1) was attended by Dr Steve Reger (USA) reinforcing that the activities of the EPUAP are well respected world-wide.

One major action for the EPUAP in 2001 has been the implementation of a European-wide pressure ulcer prevalence survey. In May 2001, National Co-ordinators from the participating countries met in the Netherlands (Photograph 2) to receive their training for the study. At this time the survey date has been set for 8 November 2001 when a minimum of 700 adult hospital in-patients per country will be surveyed. This pilot study is intended to explore the robustness of the data collection instrument and the training materials across different countries. Full details of the survey methodology will be presented at Le Mans with the survey results issued in the EPUAP Review early in 2002. To participate in this exciting venture please contact the Working Group chair (Gerrie Bours) at the following e-mail address: G.Bours@ZW.UNIMAAS.NL.

As reported elsewhere in this issue, the most recently formed Working Group has prepared a position statement on pressure ulcer risk assessment on behalf of the EPUAP. This group, led by Tom Defloor (Belgium, e-mail: Tom.Defloor@rug.ac.be), met in Belgium in June (Photograph 3) to agree word-by-word upon the text of the draft position statement! This document will be presented, and voted upon, during the Le Mans Open Meeting.
While not constituted as an EPUAP Working Group, the Pan-European Pressure Ulcer Study (PEPUS) has been hard at work arranging ethical approval for the project within the participating countries.

The primary objective of the PEPUS study is to record the care currently received by patients across 12 European countries where these individuals have been admitted to hospital for surgery following sustaining a hip fracture. The secondary goal is to seek to identify consistent risk factors for pressure ulcer development within this patient population. If common risk factors can be identified then a future development of the project may be to test a pressure ulcer risk assessment instrument specific to patients with fractured hips. The project is co-ordinated by Christina Lindholm (Sweden) with national co-ordinators within each of the participating countries.