Prevention and care for moisture-associated skin damage: A scoping review

Moisture-associated skin damage (MASD) is an inflammatory skin condition caused by long-term exposure to a moist environment, which can compromise the integrity of the barrier and increase pain. This scoping review aimed to systematically analyze the research status of prevention and care for MASD. We conducted a scoping review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews. PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were searched for relevant articles until March 2023. Based on eligibility criteria, 34 research studies and review articles were included. The prevalence of MASD varies greatly in different medical environments and patient groups. The high-risk factors included prolonged exposure to excessive water, chemical irritation such as urine or feces, mechanical factors such as friction or improper removal of medical adhesives and local bacterial colonization. Prevention measures mainly include avoiding skin exposure to moisture, skin cleansing, moisturizing and the treatment of secondary bacterial infection. A variety of factors have an impact on MASD. Nurses should select suitable tools to screen high-risk patients and take targeted preventive measures according to the related types of skin injury to reduce the incidence of MASD. •Different types of MASD can coexist, MASD especially ITD is often misdiagnosed or confused with pressure injuries.•Accurate identification of high-risk patients and implementation of preventive measures can reduce the occurrence of MASD.•Patients, caregivers, nurses, and healthcare providers should collaborate to prevent MASD.