FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
McDonough, GA – July 2020 – Encompass Group, LLC has launched the next-generation of its market-leading incontinence pad designed to help protect the skin of hospital patients and senior living residents. The Comfort Care™ underpad greatly improves upon the clinical performance of its predecessor with 20% better moisture wicking and absorbency and only 1/3rd the amount of moisture retention on the surface next to the skin as before.
Moisture next to the skin is one of the key components on skin breakdown, which can cause pressure ulcers, and the Comfort Care pad’s enhanced synthetic surface is drier to the touch than ever before after a patient void. This ability to remove moisture from the surface away from the skin is retained after even multiple patient voids, which cannot be said for one-void-only disposable incontinence pads.
Last year, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) released a report showing the changes in the incidences of hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) from 2014 to 2017. Out of the 11 major categories of HACs the report tracked, only Pressure Ulcers, now commonly referred to as Pressure Injuries (PIs), increased, and by 6% over the previous report period.
“Patient bed linens, including the bedding and the patient gown, are one of the few items that are in contact with a patient’s skin 24 hours a day while they are admitted in the hospital,” said Jamie Orlando, Encompass Vice President for Healthcare Textiles. “We feel the need to make sure that patient room textile products should help functionally protect the patient’s skin from the key components of skin breakdown - pressure, moisture and shear – and not only be attractive to look at.
“There really hasn’t been much innovation in underpads in a long time - our previous generation had been developed well over 10 years ago - and we felt the need to make performance improvements for the benefit of the patient while retaining the construction and durability attributes it was known for,” he continued. “We are doing our part to help reduce PIs with not only the new Comfort Care pad, but a full suite of high-performing bed linens and patient apparel we call the Comfort Bed System™.”
The three layers (top surface, middle soaker, and bottom barrier) of the Comfort Care pad are laminated together instead of stitched to reduce the amount potential pressure points under the patient’s body. Pressure-mapping studies show that the smooth and thin profile of the Comfort Care pad does not add any additional pressure to the body when used as directed. This allows high-end pressure reduction mattresses to do their job to relieve as much pressure as possible on the bony prominences which are at most risk for PIs such as the sacrum, hips, and buttocks.
The Comfort Care pad then works on the microclimate next to the patient’s skin to reduce moisture while affording a relatively high breathability to move air as well. The Comfort Care pad improves on its predecessor’s air permeability measure as well. The Comfort Care pad is available now in both standard 34” x 36” size and 34” x 45” bariatric size.
For more information, or to get a sample of the new Comfort Care pad, please contact your local Encompass Group sales rep or contact the company’s Customer Care team at service@encompassgroup.net, 800-284-4540.
