Barrier Wipes, Skin Care and Pressure Injury Prevention: What the Latest Research Tells Us
Pressure injuries are largely preventable - but prevention requires the right products, used consistently and correctly. New clinical evidence shows that something as simple as a twice-daily barrier wipe can reduce pressure injury incidence by 50%. Here is what that means in practice, and how to make it part of your clinical routine.
Pressure injuries are common, costly - and largely preventable.
A pressure injury develops when sustained pressure - or a combination of pressure and shear force - cuts off blood supply to skin and underlying tissue. Without blood flow, tissue begins to break down. What starts as redness can progress to open wounds, deep tissue damage and, in severe cases, life-threatening infection.
Research shows that up to 12.9% of patients admitted to Australian hospitals already have a pressure injury on arrival. For aged care residents and people managing incontinence, the risk is compounded significantly - moisture from urine and faecal matter weakens the skin's natural barrier, making it far more vulnerable to pressure and friction.
"Pressure injuries are considered largely preventable and are a direct indicator of the effectiveness of nursing care processes."
Collegian, Systematic Review of Pressure Injury Prevalence in Australian and New Zealand Hospitals, 2021What the Clinell Contiplan RCT found - and why it matters.
A multicentre randomised controlled trial conducted across 20 aged care facilities involving 858 participants found that twice-daily application of barrier wipes with emollient and barrier properties reduced pressure injury incidents by 50%. The research concluded that barrier wipes could be a cost-effective and sustainable intervention for pressure injury prevention in high-risk populations.
This is significant. A 50% reduction in incidence is not a marginal improvement - it is a clinically meaningful result achieved with a simple, scalable protocol. No complex procedure, no expensive device. Just the right product, applied correctly, twice a day.
Hayley Ryan, Clinell Contiplan RCT, 2026
The implications for aged care, hospital and community nursing are clear. Barrier wipe protocols should be embedded into standard care plans for all high-risk patients - not as an optional add-on, but as a standing order alongside repositioning and skin inspection.
Who is at risk? Knowing who to prioritise.
Flag any patient as high-risk if ANY of the following apply, and initiate the barrier wipe protocol immediately:
Document risk using a validated tool (Braden or Waterlow) on admission and reassess weekly or with any significant change in condition.
Skin inspection: what to look for and when to act.
For all high-risk patients, skin inspection should occur at minimum once daily across the sacrum, buttocks, heels, hips, spine, back of head and any area under medical devices.
What to look for:
"If a mark does not fade within approximately 20 minutes after pressure relief, treat and document it as a pressure injury using NPIAP staging categories."
Clinell Contiplan RCT Clinical Protocol, Hayley Ryan, 2026The barrier wipe protocol: cleanse, protect, moisturise.
The clinical protocol used in the Clinell Contiplan RCT is built around three sequential steps at every hygiene episode. These are not aspirational - they are the minimum standard for any high-risk patient.
Cleanse
pH-appropriate, fragrance-free cleanser at every hygiene episode. Gently cleanse and pat dry. Never rub. No-rinse formulas reduce friction and time.
Protect - twice daily with a barrier wipe
Twice daily - morning and evening - to the sacrum, buttocks, perineal area and heels. Apply after every incontinence episode where feasible. Thin, even layer. Do not massage over bony prominences. Allow to dry before repositioning.
Moisturise
Once or twice daily to limbs and trunk. Humectant, emollient and occlusive formula where possible. Avoid fragranced cosmetic lotions. Do not moisturise between the toes.
Cleansing: what to use and what to avoid
What to look for in a barrier wipe.
Not all barrier wipes are clinically equivalent. For a wipe to provide meaningful pressure injury protection, it needs to meet specific formulation criteria. According to the Clinell Contiplan RCT protocol, an evidence-aligned barrier wipe should contain:
Humectant - draws moisture into the outer layers of the skin, keeping the stratum corneum hydrated and elastic
Emollient - smooths and softens the skin surface, filling microscopic cracks that allow irritants to penetrate
Occlusive - locks moisture in and creates a water-repellent barrier between skin and irritants
pH-appropriate formula - around pH 5.5, matching the skin's natural acid mantle
Low irritant - minimal or no fragrance, alcohol-free
Standard wet wipes and baby wipes do not meet these criteria. They cleanse but do not protect. The Clinell Contiplan RCT demonstrates that the right formulation, applied twice daily, delivers a clinically significant outcome.
IAD vs pressure injury: they can coexist.
Incontinence-Associated Dermatitis (IAD) and pressure injuries are frequently confused in clinical settings - but they are distinct conditions that require different management approaches. Importantly, they can and do coexist.
When both are present - common in incontinent, immobile patients - both protocols apply simultaneously. IAD management focuses on gentle cleansing and moisture barrier protection; pressure injury management adds offloading and wound care.
Clinically aligned products at incontinenceproducts.com.au
We stock a full range of wound care and skin health products selected for clinical efficacy - including the Clinell Contiplan Cleansing Cloths used in the RCT, alongside barrier creams, foam dressings, antiseptic wound care and fixation products from the brands clinicians trust.
