Foundation for Quality Care, Inc.

Pressure ulcers are a patient safety issue and are one of the five most common problems experienced by aging patients across the health care continuum.

Pressure ulcers typically result from prolonged periods of uninterrupted pressure on the skin, soft tissue, muscle, and bone. In New York State, data demonstrate that the incidence of pressure ulcers is a major safety issue. In response, the New York State Department of Health convened a broad coalition representing hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, home care, and hospice organizations from the nonprofit and proprietary sectors to promote the Gold STAMP (Success Through Assessment, Management, and Prevention) Program. The overall goal of Gold STAMP is to implement a uniform standard of care for the assessment, management, and prevention of pressure ulcers across care settings. The Foundation for Quality Care (FQC) implemented Gold STAMP on a statewide scale.

FQC offered coaching, technical assistance, and clinical expertise to organizations that participated in the initial orientation to Gold STAMP, and leadership training for teams on evidence-based practices. FQC also implemented a standard measure set to evaluate the effectiveness of the program across settings in reducing pressure ulcers. The work included six Gold STAMP collaboratives in high prevalence areas of the State, train-the-trainer instruction for regional coaches, monthly technical assistance sessions, and dissemination of the Gold STAMP model through websites and a statewide conference.