Grants Funded

Abstract
We continue to be concerned about pressure ulcer formation as we have for centuries. Pressure ulcers are equated with increased costs, liability consequences, unfavorable clinical outcomes, and poor quality of life. Because of these issues, clinicians work towards applying timely preventive strategies to avoid pressure ulcer formation. Applying preventative strategies are based on cues provided to the clinician through clinical and risk assessments. These cues generally trigger preventative strategies centered on evidence-based guidelines. These strategies focus on extrinsic properties such as turning and positioning, skin products, moisture management, use of specialty surfaces, and other pressure reduction strategies. Preventative strategies may also be applied based on intrinsic factors such as poor nutrition and oxygenation. While our knowledge over the decades on extrinsic and intrinsic factors has improved, pressure ulcers still occur. This fact suggests that we may still lack the knowledge regarding all the possible factors that influence pressure ulcer formation. One such deficit could be the influence from skeletal morphology. The most common pressure ulcer site is the sacrococcygeal region yet its morphology has not been considered as a possible contributor to pressure ulcer formation. The intent of our pilot research is to determine the influence that the sacrococcygeal region may have in pressure ulcer formation. Using a retrospective design, we will compare patients with and without pressure ulcers using radiological images to determine if key sacrococcygeal morphology and morphometry parameters influence pressure ulcer formation. Our work provides a different perspective and a promising new area of pressure ulcer research. The results of our study may help clinicians consider other possibilities. This enriched knowledge can impact preventative strategies used but also future products and technologies created to prevent pressure injury formation.

Biography
Dr. Barbara Delmore has been in nursing for 35 years. She earned her doctorate from New York University and graduated from Emory’s Wound, Ostomy, Continence Nursing Education Program. She is a board certified wound care nurse and currently employed at NYU Langone Health in New York City as the Senior Nurse Scientist for the Departments of Nursing, and a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Hansj?rg Wyss, Department of Plastic Surgery. Dr. Delmore has authored and contributed to numerous publications, podium, and poster presentations. She has also served on several advisory boards. Dr. Delmore is currently the Wound Editor for the World Council Enterostomal Therapists (WCET) journal, and a board member for the American Professional Wound Care Association (APWCA), where she was recently awarded Master status. In January 2017, she began her 3-year board of director term for the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP). Dr. Delmore has been the recipient of several grants and her research has concentrated on the high risk and preventative aspects for pressure injuries and other chronic wound types. She was the recipient of the 2011 Nursing Spectrum Excellence Awards-Finalist Category (Mentorship category), the 2013 Research Excellence Award at NYU Langone Health, and the 2014 Clinical Innovation Award - New York University, College of Nursing/NYU Langone Health. She is also an alumnus of the Hartford Institute Summer Scholars Program at New York University.