World’s leading wound care meeting joins with preeminent pressure injury authority to develop education designed to reduce the incidence of pressure injuries and improve patient outcomes

Malvern, PA (November 21, 2019) – In conjunction with World Wide Pressure Injury Prevention Day, established to bring awareness to pressure injury prevention, HMP, a leading healthcare event and education company, today announced a strategic collaboration between its Symposium on Advanced Wound Care (SAWC) meeting and the National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel (NPIAP), the leading authority on pressure injury and prevention, to further enhance practical education for interdisciplinary wound care professionals.

In addition to NPIAP’s endorsement of the 33rd annual SAWC Spring/Wound Healing Society meeting, taking place May 13-17, 2020, in San Diego, California, the agreement focuses on the development of a hands-on, multi-modal pressure injury prevention and treatment workshop as part of the 2020 SAWC Spring scientific program. Supported by Cardinal Health, EHOB, Milliken Healthcare, and Mölnlycke, and featuring a separate, but complementary lecture from expert presenters from the NPIAP, including Janet Cuddigan, PhD, RN, FAAN and Joyce Pittman, PhD, RN, ANP-BC, FNP-BC, CWOCN, FAAN, the workshop will provide an update of the newly launched International Pressure Ulcer/Injury Prevention and Treatment Clinical Practice Guidelines and allow for hands-on practice focused on technologies that assess early tissue injury and support prevention and treatment. Participating clinicians will receive a complimentary copy of the new guidelines. 

Pressure injuries are one of the most pervasive and costly health conditions in the United States. The Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ) estimates more than 2.5 million individuals in the U.S. develop pressure injuries annually, and more than 60,000 patients die each year as a direct result of pressure injury-related complications. The cost to the patient who develops a pressure injury is significant – pressure injuries negatively affect a person’s quality of life and contribute to substantial psychological stress, pain, loss of work, and burden to family. The costs to the U.S. healthcare system for medical management of pressure injuries range between $9.1 billion and $11.6 billion per year. Continued awareness and education are critical to decrease the incidence of pressure injuries and improve treatment outcomes. 

“We are honored to establish this collaboration with the NPIAP,” said Tiffney Oliver, Vice President, Wound Care, NACCME, the medical education subsidiary of HMP. “This agreement aligns with SAWC’s mission to provide the latest evidence-based and practical approaches to support optimal prevention and management of wounds and further enhances the SAWC Spring educational program for the interdisciplinary, global wound care community. NPIAP’s longstanding leadership as the preeminent authority on pressure injury prevention and treatment makes it an exceptional partner at a time when integrated, patient-centered education has never been more critical.”

“The NPIAP is pleased to collaborate with the SAWC in providing this workshop,” said Janet Cuddigan, PhD, RN, FAAN, president, NPIAP. "The 2019 International Pressure Injury Guidelines provide the best available evidence to improve patient outcomes in pressure injury prevention and treatment.  Hands-on experiences with the technologies and products aligned with evidence-based recommendations are an important part of guideline implementation.” 
 
To learn more about the workshop and the 2020 SAWC Spring/Wound Healing Society meeting, visit sawcspring.com. To access resources and learn more about World Wide Pressure Injury Prevention Day, visit https://npiap.com/page/2019WWPIPD.

About HMP

HMP is the force behind Healthcare Made Practical—and is a multichannel leader in healthcare events and education, with a mission to improve patient care. The company produces accredited medical education events and clinically relevant, evidence-based content for the global healthcare community across a range of therapeutic areas. Its brands include Consultant360, the year-round, award-winning platform relied upon by primary care providers and other specialists; Psych Congress, the largest independent mental health meeting in the U.S.; EMS World Expo, North America's largest EMT and paramedic event; and the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care (SAWC), the largest wound care meeting in the world. For more information, visit hmpglobal.com.

About NPIAP

The National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel (NPIAP) is an independent not-for-profit professional organization dedicated to the prevention and management of pressure injuries. Formed in 1986, the NPIAP’s mission is to provide interprofessional leadership to improve patient outcomes in pressure injury prevention and management through education, public policy, and research. With a focus on pressure injury prevention and management, the NPIAP serves as a unique resource to health care professionals, the government, public, and health care agencies. For more information, visit npiap.com.