Sammendrag
STF78 A024510 The Norwegian company Care Product AS is responsible for the production of the pressure-relieving mattress Carebed. The mattress is marketed by Invacare AS. In order to provide better documentation of the properties of the mattress, concerned with prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers, Care Product engaged SINTEF Unimed to perform a clinical study. The study was conducted in two parts. The first part, Experiences from the Field, included collection of relevant background information from international literature and practitioners in the field, and the development of the project design and the material for the practical trial. The second part, Practical Evaluation in Three Nursing Homes, consisted of a 10-week trial of the mattress in three nursing homes in Oslo. Registration schemas developed during Part I were used in combination with regular discussions with involved personnel. The study started in December 2001 and the reports with the final results were finished in October 2002. This report describes both parts of the project. In addition to this report, there are two extensive Norwegian reports, one for Part I and one for Part II.