Guidelines for the prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers.

An 'all-in-one' guideline on pressure ulcer prevention and management in primary and secondary care was published last year by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE 2005a). The guideline is published in two parts. The first part is The Management of Pressure Ulcers in Primary and Secondary Care (Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and NICE 2005). The second part concerns pressure ulcer risk assessment and prevention, including the use of pressure-relieving devices (NICE 2003). A quick reference guide (NICE 2005b) summarises the recommendations made in both parts and is the focus of this article.