Carol Dealey

I approach writing this letter with some trepidation, but also a feeling of pride. I feel very honoured to have been elected President Elect of EPUAP, not least because I follow a number of distinguished people. I also feel proud to be part of such a successful and active organisation. In the nearly ten years since EPUAP was founded it has been recognised for the range of activities which it has instigated as well as the very successful annual conferences. For many societies the annual conference is their main activity and little else happens the rest of the year, not so for EPUAP!

Over the years we have produced Pressure Ulcer Prevention and Treatment and Nutrition Guidelines in a number of different languages. The EPUAP Pressure Ulcer Classification has been widely adopted and the linked teaching aid PUCLAS developed by a group led by our current President Tom Defloor has been incredibly successful. EPUAP has supported two major pieces of research: the PEPUS Study, looking at pressure ulcers in patients with hip fractures across Europe; and a phenomenological study exploring the impact of pressure ulceration on patients. We have recently produced position statements on monitoring pressure ulcer prevalence and incidence and also on differentiating between pressure ulcers and moisture lesions. Both of these statements are exceedingly useful for clinicians.

Perhaps our most ambitious projects to date are our considerable involvement in the International Collaboration to Define and Measure Shear and our joint project with the NPUAP to develop international pressure ulcer prevention and treatment guidelines. These two projects seem to be moving forward in a rather measured manner, but with each meeting of the joint groups there is improved understanding for what is required and each other. These are definitely exciting times to be a part of EPUAP!

Carol Dealey
President Elect