Comprehensive Pressure Ulcer Prevention

The research article "What influences the impact of pressure ulcers on health-related quality of life? A qualitative patient-focused exploration of contributory factors" was recently published (2012) in the Journal of Tissue Viability by Gorecki, Nixon, Madill, Firth, and Brown. This is a qualitative study.

Pressure ulcers are the result of a deficient patient care in many health care organizations like

It is important to count & track pressure ulcer rates as a major factor for quality improvement. Being able to track pressure ulcer rates, care can be altered to better improve medication interventions and ultimately decrease the rates of pressure ulcers. It also allows the interdisciplinary team members be able to gain perspective on data trends. Improvement efforts are ongoing basis and the AHRQ recommends that pressure ulcer incidence or prevalence rates be monitored to determine outcomes, utilization of at least one or two skin assessments, and determine responsibility for overseeing accuracy of skin assessments.

White and should be implemented. A Low Air Loss mattress allows for air to be evenly distributed thus pressure on the skin should be more evenly dispersed to help decrease moisture and may help her pressure ulcer heal. (Ruth & Nix, 2012, p. 162). The Low Air Mattress should also help wick moisture away as Mrs. White experiences hot flashes throughout the day and is also fecal incontinent resulting in both conditions increasing the moisture on Mrs. White’s skin. (Bryant & Nix, 2012, p. 162).

Pressure ulcers remain a major health problem for many years. However, pressure ulcers have received minimal attention when we talk about patient safety issues. It is no doubt a patient safety issue as it can lead to serious damage such as life-threatening infections (Robyn). On a med/surge unit, individuals may experience long or short hospital stays depending on the situation. For the short stays, the focus of care is often on maximizing regaining activities of daily living and assessment and education regarding pressure ulcers is often minimal or non-existent (RNAO). What we fail to realize is that every patient who is at risk needs to be assessed and educated regarding pressure ulcers and the harm it can cause. During the hospital stay, patients may have limited movement and the pressure ulcers can extend into the muscle, tendon, and bone (RNAO). In many cases, patients do not notice the formation of an ulcer and as it may be in areas that are not as visible such as the coccyx. On a unit where there is short staffing, it is more vital to remember to assess for pressure ulcers and prevent the formation of an ulcer. Often, patients are admitted with the presence of a stage one or two pressure ulcer, whether it was from home or long-term care. In that case, patient education need to take place and teachings should be reinforced regarding the prevention of new pressure ulcers forming. Clients should also receive education regarding how to prevent

Williams, 1992 states that pressure ulcer occurs where there is poor level of nursing care for a long term basis but it is also found with hospitals that offer severe care. We know that a sore healing needs conditions of dietary aspects and it can be reversed. There have been several studies made

Pressure ulcer prevention is a major task of direct care personnel in hospitals around the world. Even with evidenced-based polices currently in place at many facilities, patients still continue to develop pressure ulcers. Patients with pressure ulcers require the care of a multi-disciplinary team, ranging from nursing assistants to nutritionists to wound care physicians. Pressure ulcers are expensive to treat, can lead to infections and other illnesses, and sometimes cost patients their lives. A literature search was conducted of five articles related to pressure ulcer prevention in order to find a solution to implement on a medical-surgical unit at a local hospital. The proposed change was selected using Lewin 's Change Theory. The proposed solution was to train nursing assistants in assisting registered nurses (RNs) with monitoring patients ' skin and providing care to prevent the development of pressure ulcers. The pros and cons of this solution, required resources, costs of implementation, education required, and evaluation of the change were all discussed.

Pressure ulcers are a serious problem in the medical world today. They affect millions of people and cost medical facilities billions of dollars annually. In order to help prevent pressure ulcers, it is important to understand how and why they happen, the risk factors involved for patients and what can be done to prevent them. Many studies have been done to assess different techniques for preventing and treating pressure ulcers. In addition to using the best medical products, it has been found that proper education for the nurse and the patient plays an integral role in the prevention and treatment of ulcers. This paper will discuss evidence based practice, the nursing role, and client education in pressure ulcer formation and healing.

The purpose of this paper is to acknowledge pressure ulcers, including what a pressure ulcer is and what it should look like in each stage of progression. Furthermore, it should educate the reader on how a pressure ulcer is formed. After reading this paper you should see the importance of preventing pressure ulcers altogether. Through review of various peer reviewed articles, as well as credible internet sources, information will be gathered to show statistics of pressure ulcers in the elderly as well as the contributing factors of this problem. There are solid ways to prevent elderly patients from getting pressure ulcers.

Pressure ulcer prevention program is an interdisciplinary quality improvement initiative. It is designed to assist nursing home

One of the greatest indicators for the quality of care is health care facilities is the amount of pressure ulcers acquired in patients. Approximately 1 million people develop hospital-acquired pressure ulcers each year affecting hospitalized patients in both acute and long term care settings. The incidence of pressure ulcers ranges from 0.4%-12% in acute care settings, along with the prevalence range from 12%-18%. Pressure ulcers cause increase pain, suffering, and decreased quality of life along with extended hospital stay. According to the national pressure ulcer advisory panel a pressure ulcer is defined as “localized injury to the skin and/or underlying tissue usually over a bony prominence, as a result of pressure, or pressure in combination

Due to the high cases of pressure ulcer incidents in this 18-bed CCU, a plan must be executed in a short period. A timeline was developed to implement multidisciplinary team collaboration (Appendix B). The multidisciplinary team will be executed in three stages during this three-month timeline. The stages consist of pre-implementation, implementation, and post-implementation. Clinicians are at heart of medical decision making (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality [AHRQ], 2014). Healthcare practitioners are the stakeholders involved in preventing pressure ulcers and they must be proactive in performing task. If the multidisciplinary collaboration strategy succeeds, the other stakeholders such as patient,

Pressure ulcers are a major health issue that can be essentially preventable. Nurses assess skin integrity and identify pressure ulcers and implement preventative measures in order to treat and avoid prolonged stays in

The purpose of this paper is to discuss pressure ulcers (PUs) and their prevention. The National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP), European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (EPUAP), and Pan Pacific Pressure Injury Alliance (PPPIA) define pressure ulcers as a ‘localized injury to the skin and/or underlying tissue usually over a bony prominence, as a result of pressure, or pressure in combination with shear’ (Brown, 2016, p. S6). Pressure ulcers are a healthcare problem that can have detrimental effects on patients’ quality of life and can be regarded as an indicator of poor nursing practice. Hospital-acquired pressure ulcers (HAPUs) result in costly settlements

According to the textbook, nurses in various settings are adopting a research-based (or evidence-based) practice that incorporates research findings into their decisions and interaction with clients. How do you see this being applied in your workplace?