Advancing Skin Health: Inside the 2022 CARS Consensus Statement

The Coalition for At-Risk Skin (CARS) brought together a multidisciplinary panel of clinical experts to address a critical gap in healthcare: the lack of standardized, evidence-based guidance for identifying and managing at-risk skin.

The result?

A landmark publication — the CARS Consensus Statement — which outlines 21 actionable recommendations for improving skin integrity across healthcare settings.

Why This Matters

At-risk skin is more than a cosmetic concern. It’s a patient safety issue that affects older adults, individuals with chronic illness, people at the end of life, and those in long-term care, home health, or hospital settings. Without proper care, skin breakdown can lead to infection, pain, avoidable hospitalization, and loss of dignity.

Yet, despite its prevalence, skin health is often under-addressed in clinical guidelines. The CARS Consensus Statement fills that gap with clear, practical, and patient-centered recommendations.

What’s in the Statement?

The 21 recommendations are organized into 7 key categories:

• Defining At-Risk Skin

• Best Practices in Skin Assessment

• Moisturizer and Barrier Use

• Product Selection and Application Guidance

• Special Populations (e.g., elderly, end-of-life, PPE users)

• Organizational Strategies

• Universal Skin Health as a Standard of Care