The data obtained from this project encouraged administration to purchase two new OR mattresses for patients undergoing extended surgical procedures. This project led to a more formal pressure mapping study, which provided evidence used to support replacement of all OR table surfaces with 4-inch Viscoelastic mattresses. Data collected to evaluate the effect of these changes on units caring for patients who had surgery revealed a decrease in incidence of HAPUs from 2010 to 2012 of 27% in the ICU, 60% on the orthopaedic unit, and a 100% decrease in the general surgery unit. (see Fig. 3). Surgical focus The change in OR mattresses reduced the incidence of pressure ulcers in surgical paitents but a chart audit of HAPUs showed that the vast majority of these wounds were still occurring in patients following a surgical event. In early 2013, the Resource Nurses from the Peri-operative and post-surgical units formed a small workgroup to review the literature for suggestions of methods to help reduce the hospital’s incidence of these surgical-related pressure ulcers. They also conducted a retrospective review of charts for surgical patients who developed pressure ulcers in 2012 and found that 70% of these patients were 60 or older, 37% had diabetes and 90% had a Braden score of 18 or less. Preoperative identification of those patients at-risk can aid in the implementation of prevention interventions before and during surgery, as well as immediately after surgery (Lyder and Ayello,2008). Recognizing a need to raise awareness of at-risk patients in the perioperative area and finding a paucity of information in the literature regarding surgical-specific risk assessment tools, the Resource Nurses decided to develope and test a surgical specific risk assessment tool with correlating prevention interventions. This tool is currently under investigation in the peri-operative area. A companion tool is also being evaluated which follows the patient after surgery to both the post anesthesia care unit as well as to their nursing unit. Using an anatomical diagram, the tool alerts staff to at-risk areas related to patient positioning during surgery and emphasizes the need for continued assessment and intervention. Developing a consistently used evidence-based standard of care which focuses on early identification and prevention, coupled with supportive documentation, is essential in preventing these wounds (Tschannen et al., 2012). Impact on pressure ulcer prevalence and incidence Although inferential analysis was not performed, a review of information collected from our PUPs suggests that since its inception in 2009, the Resource Nurse program has effectively reduced HAPUs in our facility. Comparative prevelance data from 2009 through 2012 reveals a 77% decrease in HAPUs (see Fig. 4). Data gleaned from the Nursing Data for Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) survey tool suggests that nurses are independently initiating prevention strategies earlier in the patient stay.