German nurses win national award for groundbreaking pressure ulcer prevention

Sana Clinics AG Nursing Innovation Award 2024 Goes to Offenbach Team

This year's Nursing Innovation Award from Sana Clinics AG has been presented to a team from Offenbach: Stefanie Richter (Head of Nursing Development) and Indat Tas (Head of Wound/Stoma Management). They received the prize in Berlin during the annual Sana Nursing Management Congress. The award recognizes their concept for a "Structured Pathway for Sustainable, Outcome-Oriented Pressure Ulcer Prevention in Clinical Practice."

"The number of elderly patients in hospitals is steadily rising, as is the number of patients with complex, severe conditions in inpatient care," noted jury chair Dr. Heidemarie Haeske-Seeberg, Head of Quality Networks at Sana. Given these trends, she emphasized the importance of preventing pressure ulcers (decubitus) in these vulnerable patients.

"This award fills us with pride and serves as motivation to keep pushing forward in our efforts," said Stefanie Richter. Her colleague Indat Tas added that they accepted the prize on behalf of many colleagues. "This was true teamwork, with outstanding collaboration across all hospital departments—and that collaboration worked exceptionally well for us," Tas explained.

The project has been underway for several years, including the establishment of a digital wound consultation service in 2020. Its success lies in the team's persistent focus on continuous improvement—most recently through the introduction of "pressure ulcer prevention nursing rounds," adjustments to the wound team's tools, and the addition of a statistical report. This report provides a daily overview of all patients with pressure ulcers, helping to guide nursing rounds.

"Engaging with quality data isn't just crucial for patients—it will grow in importance in the coming months," Haeske-Seeberg remarked. "The findings soon to be published in the Federal Hospital Atlas will play a key role in hospital capacity planning." Since 2016, Sana Clinics AG has honored innovative nursing concepts through this award, celebrating initiatives that enhance daily workflows and advance patient care.

Source: Sana Clinics AG press release

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