Pressure ulcers project

Pressure ulcers project

Introduction

It is unacceptable for a patient to suffer pain and harm from a condition that can be prevented in the health care facilities. A pressure ulcer is one of the health care problems that can be prevented through the implementation of effective health care management strategies (Holloway, 2017). There exist a significant variation in the consistency if the strategies used in the prevention of pressure ulcers in both primary and secondary health care facilities. Therefore, there is a high need to ensure the rationalization of the prevention approaches used in pressure ulcers and ensuring the use of the most recent best evidence.

Background of the problem

Pressure ulcers are challenging too many health care providers because it posts complex care that is costly to the health care system. According to Wound (2017), pressure ulcers develop when there are continuous soft tissue injuries primarily due to unrelieved pressure that affect the bony prominence and prolonged ischemia. Appropriate risk assessment and prevention strategies implementation for the pressure ulcers as highly recommended in the provision of comprehensive care that will further help in reducing the health care cost.

The prevention of pressure ulcers aims at reducing the risk factors among individual patients. Besides, the prevention strategies should focus on the reduction of episodes in which the patient experiences prolonged pressure through the use of correct padding at the pressure sites or through the frequent turning of the patients to different positions. The wheelchairs of the patients who are using it should be fitted appropriately to ensure that there is enough budding (Ellis, 2016).  In cases where there is increase body weight, the wheelchair should be continuously fitted to ensure that adequate padding is provided to the patient.

When the pressure ulcers have developed, it is essential to detect it earlier to prevent further complications that can impact the patients’ health outcomes and the cost of care due to prolonged hospitalization. The most critical part of the pressure ulcer care is skincare and wound cleaning (Saghaleini et al., 2018). Debridement is another process, which entails the removal of the contaminated surface and the excision of the dead tissues on the site affected. In other cases, the pressure ulcers are managed using the pressure irrigation and cleaning of the wound.

Stakeholders

For the success of an evidence-based practice project, it is essential to involve various stakeholders who are affected by pressure ulcers. According to Chapan (2017), elderly patients are the most people who are affected by pressure ulcers. Therefore, it is essential to involve the patients, especially those who can move without the use of wheelchairs. The health care professional will play a crucial part in this project, especially the nurses, dermatologists, physicians, and clinicians, because they are involved in taking care of the patient. The home care management and other health care system management will play a crucial role in the project because they will provide the necessary resources to be used in the project.

PICOT Question

(P)Among the adult patients with impaired mobility due to spinal cord disease or injury, (I) how does early prevention of pressure ulcers development (C) compared to daily wound care, debridement or grafting affect early detection and prevention with a positive outcome (T) during the three months of home health care recovery period.

Purpose and objective of the project

The purpose of this evidence-based project is to determine the effectiveness of early prevention of pressure ulcers development compared to daily wound care, debridement or grafting of the pressure ulcers among adult patients with impaired immobility due to the spinal cord disease or injury during the first three months of home health care recovery period.

The rationale for the issue

The pressure ulcer incidence is increasing consistently due to the increase in the aging population and the increase in the number of geriatric patients who are living with a disability. The disable elderly persons are mostly immobile, and others use supportive systems such as the wheelchair to help them in their movement (Aslan & van Giersbergen, 2016). Despite the fact that a wheelchair is useful, it increases the risk of developing pressure ulcers among elderly patients. It is increasingly important for every health care professional to learn various strategies of preventing pressure ulcers from helping in enhancing the health outcome of the patient reduce hospitalization of the patients and reduce the cost of care and utilization of hospital resources.

Despite the fact that there have been numerous treatment modalities and approaches to pressure ulcer prevention, most of the treatment modalities have not demonstrated clear benefits making the management of pressure ulcers to be time-consuming and frustrating to the health care providers. Therefore, more research should be conducted to enhance the development of evidence-based practice approaches that are highly effective in the prevention and management of pressure ulcers.

Conclusion

In conclusion, pressure ulcers are preventable conditions. Pressure ulcers affect the elderly population mainly because of their disability that keeps them in the immobile state and the frequent use of the wheelchair (Mervis & Phillips, 2019). It is essential for health care providers to prevent the development of pressure ulcers through the implementation of the most recent best evidence-based strategies. It is increasingly important for every health care professional to learn various strategies of preventing pressure ulcers from helping in enhancing the health outcome of the patient reduce hospitalization of the patients and reduce the cost of care and utilization of hospital resources.

References

Aslan, A., & van Giersbergen, M. Y. (2016). Nurses’ attitudes towards pressure ulcer prevention in Turkey. Journal of tissue viability, 25(1), 66-73.

Chapan, S. (2017). Preventing and treating pressure ulcers: evidence review. British journal of community nursing, 22(Sup3), S37-S40.

Ellis, M. (2016). Understanding the latest guidance on pressure ulcer prevention. Journal of community nursing, 30(4).

Holloway, S. (2017). Pressure ulcers: Prevention and management. British Journal of Healthcare Management, 23(4), 150-153.

Mervis, J. S., & Phillips, T. J. (2019). Pressure ulcers: prevention and management. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 81(4), 893-902.

Saghaleini, S. H., Dehghan, K., Shadvar, K., Sanaie, S., Mahmoodpoor, A., & Ostadi, Z. (2018). Pressure ulcer and nutrition. Indian journal of critical care medicine: peer-reviewed, official publication of Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine, 22(4), 283.

Wound, O. (2017). WOCN 2016 Guideline for Prevention and Management of Pressure Injuries (Ulcers). Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing, 44(3), 241-246.