A method is provided for continuously monitoring pressure ulcer risk for a patient positioned on a support surface. The support surface has an associated pressure sensing device for sensing instantaneous pressure at the support surface. The method includes acquiring pressure data from the pressure sensing device to generate a two-dimensional instantaneous pressure (IP) map indicative of instantaneous pressure at locations of the support surface. The method further includes acquiring a body position model using the two-dimensional IP map, where the body position model includes body parts that are respectively mapped to locations on a pressure ulcer risk map. An accumulated risk is determined in associated with each body part. The pressure ulcer risk map is displayed in accordance with the accumulated risk. Further, a current body position model is compared to a previous body position model to detect a position change of the patient on the support surface.