Open AccessDry skin and the use of leave‐on products in nursing care: A prevalence study in nursing homes and hospitals
Author(s) -
Lechner Anna,
Lahmann Nils,
LichterfeldKottner Andrea,
MüllerWerdan Ursula,
BlumePeytavi Ulrike,
Kottner Jan
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
nursing open
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.55
H-Index - 12
ISSN - 2054-1058
DOI - 10.1002/nop2.204
Subject(s) - medicine , dry skin , psychological intervention , nursing interventions classification , cross sectional study , nursing homes , nursing , family medicine , dermatology , pathology
Aims To describe the prevalence of dry skin in nursing homes and hospitals and to describe relationships between topical skincare interventions and dry skin. Design Two multicentre descriptive cross‐sectional prevalence studies. Methods The studies were performed in German nursing homes and hospitals in 2015 and 2016. Data were collected by trained nurses based on a standardized data collection form. The severity of dry skin was measured using the Overall Dry Skin Score. Results In total, 1,662 nursing home residents and 1,486 hospital patients participated. The prevalence of dry skin was 41.2% in nursing homes and 55.2% in hospitals. In case of skincare dependency, the proportions of participants with dry skin were higher, particularly in hospitals (70.2%). In both institutions, the application of leave‐on products increased when dry skin was present but remained lower in hospitals. Considering the high amount of skin dryness in skincare‐dependent participants, interventions seem not to be successful. Results indicate a need for skincare improvement in future.