What is the key focus of preventing pressure injuries in infants?

The key focus of preventing pressure injuries in infants centers around the necessity of frequent repositioning. This practice helps to alleviate prolonged pressure on any one area of the body, which is crucial since infants often spend substantial amounts of time in the same position. By repositioning infants regularly, caregivers can significantly reduce the risk of pressure injuries, which can result from sustained pressure that restricts blood flow to the skin and underlying tissues.

While regular skin assessments, specialized bedding, and application of skin ointments can all serve supportive roles in skin care and injury prevention, they are not as fundamentally preventative as the frequent repositioning. Assessments help monitor the skin for any early signs of injury, but without regular movement, an infant remains at risk regardless of assessment frequency. Specialized bedding may improve comfort but does not substitute for the need to relieve pressure through movement. Ointments and creams can protect the skin but do not address the underlying issue of pressure accumulation that frequent repositioning directly mitigates.