Incontinence-Associated Dermatitis (IASD) Assessment Tool (20150057, Dr. Bliss)

Incontinence Causes Skin Damage

The most common malignant symptom of incontinence is skin damage or dermatitis. The buttocks, hips, and thighs are especially prone to skin breakdown when exposed to the moisture and chemicals in incontinence fluids. Skin damage prevention involves careful hygiene in the affected regions, but treatment is an involved process that depends on the severity of the skin damage. There exists a critical need for a benchmark tool that will assist nurses in evaluating skin damage levels.

Skin Assessment Tool

A graphical tool has been developed that provides color representations of varying severities of incontinence-associated skin damage on different colors of skin. The laminated tool identifies the different regions where damage often occurs and provides detailed images of each severity level. This tool is the only one of its kind to have undergone psychometric testing by nurses. In addition, no other instrument on the market has undergone testing for accuracy on dark-toned skins.

BENEFITS AND FEATURES OF INCONTINENCE-ASSOCIATED DERMATITIS ASSESSMENT TOOL:

• Provides benchmark for incontinence-associated skin damage
• Allows for color comparison of damaged skin regions
• Contains sets of colors for each combination of severity and skin color
• First of its kind to undergo nurse psychometric validation and testing on dark-toned skins.