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Background: Although guidelines advise against massage, it is one of the methods widely regarded and used by nurses to prevent pressure ulcers (PU)., Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of different variations of massage in preventing pressure ulcers., Methods: A randomized, double-blind cross-over design, in which patients of nursing homes who are prone to PU underwent two of the three possible interventions; 'position changes only', 'massaging with an indifferent cream' and 'massaging with a dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) cream'., Results: The results of three interventions did not differ significantly. DMSO did not fulfil the expectations raised by literature and a previous pilot-study.

Background: Pressure ulcers are a major problem in all areas of health care in the Netherlands. National guidelines for the prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers were originally developed in 1985 and revised in 1991 and 2002. The value of these guidelines can be questioned because it seems they are not in line with the beliefs and practice of the caregivers and only 5% of them are evidence-based., Aims and Objectives: To get a better insight into nurses' current knowledge, beliefs and performed practices relating to massage, a study was designed to assess changes in these three aspects after the publication of the 2002 Dutch national guidelines. The outcome was compared with the situation in 1991, the year in which the previous guidelines were published., Design and Method: A cross-sectional comparative study was designed using written questionnaires. Questions were formulated regarding knowledge and beliefs about prevention methods and the actual use of these methods in the prevention of pressure ulcers. The 2003-survey population consisted of nurses working in the Netherlands and was approached at random via subscriptions to Nursing News (i.e. Verpleegkunde Nieuws), a Dutch professional journal or via affiliations to an institution participating in the 2003 National Prevalence Survey of Pressure Ulcers., Results and Conclusions: Compared with the 1991 findings, the 2003 results show an improvement for the topic of pressure ulcers, but a deterioration regarding dehydration. It is obvious that the knowledge of the current CBO-guidelines on massage is still not widely distributed as it should be. Our overall conclusion is that the differences in responses between 1991 and 2003 are significant and suggest that the nurses were better informed in 2003., Relevance to Clinical Practice: For the improvement of health care in the domain of pressure ulcer preventions, we need more than an accurate implementation of new or existing guidelines. Guidelines should also be based on qualitative, methodological well-designed studies to be evidence-based.

General information about the effects of massage to prevent pressure ulcers is limited. A literature search was conducted to provide more detailed knowledge about the effects of massage in general and in preventing the development of pressure ulcers in particular. Using the keywords massage, rubbing, prevention of pressure ulcers/pressure ulcers, and paying particular attention to referenced articles yielded a summary of different manual massage techniques and indications/contraindications of this intervention for both healthy tissues and tissues in patients at risk for developing pressure ulcers. A careful review of this information; the clinical, physical, and pathophysiological aspects of pressure ulcers, including extrinsic and intrinsic factor; and the time-pressure relationship suggests that one type of massage may be beneficial for persons who are at risk for developing pressure ulcers. Specifically, effleurage applied with moderate pressure is the most preferred massage in the treatment of pressure ulcers, although based on currently existing studies, it cannot be proven statistically that massage is an adequate preventive method for pressure ulcers. Although many guidelines advised against use of massage in people at risk for pressure ulcers, current evidence suggests that research to increase knowledge about the mechanism behind the effects of massage as part of an individualized prevention and treatment plan should be conducted.