An investigation of geriatric nursing problems in hospital

By A. N. Exton-Smith, Doreen Norton, Rhoda McLaren

Subjects: Older people, Hospital care, Geriatric nursing

Description: Doreen Norton was the nurse who stopped old people having pressure sores. She eventually banished the ritual of rubbing patients' backs with soap and spirits when she showed that moving patients and using the right equipment was the way to reduce the risk. As well as altering the approach to bed sores, in the 1960s Norton helped design the King's Fund bed, the adjustable bed used in many hospital wards. Norton carried out her research into pressure sores. Her seminal work appeared in An Investigation of Geriatric Nursing Problems in Hospital, which was published in 1962. Doreen Norton, nurse: born Dartford, Kent 1 May 1922; OBE 1977; died Worthing, West Sussex 30 December 2007. Info taken from the Obituaries in The Independent 15/02/2008