Vanderwee et al. (2007) studied an experimental turning
routine on older nursing home patients by alternating 2-hour
lateral positions with a 4-hour supine position in comparison
to a routine of repositioning every 4 hours. The experimental
group demonstrated a lower, but not statistically significant,
incidence of grade II-IV pressure ulcers, suggesting that more
frequent turning does not necessarily lower pressure ulcer
incidence. Hobbs (2004) also demonstrated this finding upon
implementing a ‘turn-team’ in a hospital for older patients.
Results showed no reduction in pressure ulcer incidence
despite a decrease in average length of stay. It remains unclear
which turning protocols are best, or even if the act of turning is,
in fact, substantially protective against pressure ulcer development. Given the limited demonstrated benefits of turning in
reducing the incidence of pressure ulcers, we sought to
determine how effective turning is at unloading at-risk tissue.