Globally, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that over 1 billion people are currently overweight, including 800 million women, and that over 300 million people are obese. Yet it is apparent that this is a global issue much like pressure ulcers and the same attention must be given towards the necessity for education and effective protocols for the prevention.

The aim of this study was to determine the impact of different pressure relieving surfaces on the development of pressure ulcers (PUs) and ultimately hospital budgets using a budget impact model (BIM). The BIM aims to help health service payers understand the financial implications of changing their portfolio of pressure relieving surfaces.

Pressure ulcers affect large numbers of people and result in considerable health system expenditure worldwide. Studies that examine pressure ulcer occurrence are of increasing interest in the drive to reduce the number of patients affected. However, quantifying pressure ulceration is complex and variations in the methods of collection and type of data collected, make valid study comparisons difficult. The consensus document ?Pressure Ulcer Prevention: prevalence and incidence in context? was developed by a group of international experts in pressure ulcer prevention and treatment and is aimed at all those involved in the field of pressure ulcers, including those that deliver healthcare, conduct research and develop policy.

The introduction of vacuum assisted closure therapy at our Institution was delayed, compared to other centers, but was strictly bound with the development of new concepts on mechanical forces (macro-mechanical, and micro-mechanical/cellular action able to modulate cells fate, one of the suggested mechanisms for vacuum assisted closure therapy effects). While working on the scientific basis of vacuum assisted closure therapy, our Center developed an ?Interaction Project? between specialties involved in hospital care, and between Hospital and Home Nursing Care.

Ensuring seamless patient care across healthcare organisations prevents interruptions in treatments and delays as well as unnecessary stresses for the patient. It is vitally important to ensure that bureaucracy and budgetary differences are overcome and do not prevent or interfere with a prescribed treatment for patients and ensure safe ongoing care.

While there are many causes of pressure ulcers, a significant proportion arises due to immobility, particularly when associated with lengthy periods of bed rest in hospitals or long-term community care facilities. Estimates of pressure ulcer prevalence vary significantly ? studies in hospital settings report rates ranging from 4.7% to 32.1%.1 Pressure ulcers are often associated with an extended hospital stay, resulting in a significant cost to hospitals and ?bed-blocking,? which can reduce hospital throughput.

Recent clinical practice guidelines generally concur regarding the necessary elements required for successful pressure ulcer preventive strategies. However, the implementation of these strategies and tactics may be incomplete, while evidence of success in terms of reduced pressure ulcer occurrence remains elusive.

Diabetic foot ulcers impose tremendous medical, psychosocial and financial loss or burden on millions of people in the United States. Vacuum assisted closure therapy is generally well tolerated, appears to stimulate a robust granulation tissue response compared to other wound healing modalities, and may be a cost effective adjunctive device to heal wounds.

The move towards managing chronic conditions outside of hospital settings is associated with a number of potential benefits to both healthcare planners and patients. From the planners? perspective, managing patients outside of hospitals reduces the demand for scarce hospital beds, allowing them to be used more efficiently for interventional procedures. This has the potential to reduce per patient costs whilst increasing revenues for a hospital. From the patients? perspective, providing care closer to their home leads to improved satisfaction and convenience whilst also reducing the risk of infection associated with being hospitalised.