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Take part in the moisture-associated skin damage awareness day

Join nurses around the UK on 17 March in the campaign to increase knowledge of the skin condition among staff and patients

Join nurses around the UK on 17 March in the campaign to increase knowledge of the skin condition among staff and patients

Julie Tyrer (right) with the MINIMISE Moisture team at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

A leading tissue viability nurse consultant is campaigning for a preventable skin condition to be at the forefront of all nurses’ minds.

The call comes ahead of the UK’s first moisture-associated skin damage (MASD) awareness day, which will be held on 17 March 2022.

MASD covers different types of skin damage caused by repeated or prolonged moisture on the skin. Patients have likened the pain to burning and stinging and, if left untreated, it can lead to pressure ulcers.

Check for signs of moisture-associated skin damage in every patient

Julie Tyrer, tissue viability nurse consultant at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, developed the awareness day alongside her nursing colleagues after initiating an MASD educational scheme at her trust called MINIMISE Moisture.

Ms Tyrer told Nursing Standard that she hoped the awareness day would act as a reminder to all nurses to check for signs of the skin condition.

‘We encourage nurses to remember that MASD is something that needs to be considered for every patient, regardless of age,’ she said. ‘It can be prevented and, because of the training at my trust, nurses and healthcare staff have integrated MASD awareness into a patient's holistic care plan.’

Being vigilant for skin conditions helps to build patients’ trust in nursing

Tissue viability nurse Gillian Smith, who helped to set up the awareness day, said increased awareness among staff has had a positive effect on their relationship with patients.

‘If patients see that something we have done has benefited them, it gives them trust in our organisation and confidence in the work we are doing,’ she added.

Staff education has reduced cases of moisture-associated skin damage

Ms Tyrer has been working to reduce the incidence of MASD at her trust since 2017 via the MINIMISE moisture initiative, which included setting up educational sessions for staff on how to reduce moisture and therefore minimise patient harm.

Following staff’s increased awareness of MASD, 96% said they felt better able to identify patients at risk and 91% felt better equipped to provide high-quality care, a staff survey revealed.

The trust, which has 240 beds, found that in April 2019 there were 20 cases of MASD, but in February 2020 there were only six.

In the run-up to the awareness day, the trust is sharing its resources on how to reduce MASD. So far, 70 organisations across health and social care have signed up to create their own MINIMISE moisture initiatives.


Find out more about the awareness day

MASD Awareness Day – 17 March 2022


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