Clinician perspectives on medical adhesive-related skin injuries

Medical adhesive-related skin injury (MARSI) is a prevalent, under-recognised and preventable complication that occurs across all care settings, age groups and patient types. Use of medical adhesives may affect skin integrity, cause pain, increase risk of infection, potentially increase wound size and delay healing, all of which reduce patient quality of life unnecessarily. In addition, MARSI is costly in terms of nursing time and costs. A new survey of UK wound care clinicians sought to understand clinician experiences of and perspectives on MARSI and found that incidence of MARSI is high, yet education around assessment of risk and prevention are low. The results of the survey show that clinicians both need and want improved educational efforts around MARSI awareness, identification of patients at risk of MARSI and strategies for preventing MARSI. Broadly, more research on the exact pathophysiology of MARSI is needed, in order to deepen understanding and aid the development of formal MARSI education programmes.