Abstract
The paper focuses on one of the biggest problems of the modern healthcare system: pressure ulcers. Although considerable breakthroughs in medicine have enabled medical workers to save people’s lives and provide them with the highest quality of care, a viable approach to managing pressure ulcers has not been found yet. Apart from defining the issue and outlining its classification, the project involves the intervention aimed at reducing the risk of pressure ulcers.
The paper is divided into several meaningful parts. In the introduction, the general description of the issue and brief information on the intervention is given. Further, risk assessment tools are identified and analyzed. The next chapter is concerned with the suggested solution to the problem. The PICOT question is formulated, and a detailed explanation of the intervention is provided. The concluding section summarizes the issue and the approach to its management and offers directions for future research.
Thesis Statement
Pressure ulcers present one of the greatest burdens in the modern healthcare system, the correct management of which requires an individual approach and prevention measures, one of the most successful being the pressure ulcer protocol.
Introduction
Despite a considerable amount of achievements that have been made in the sphere of medicine over the latest decades, there remain some problems that healthcare practitioners cannot manage properly. One of such burdens is known as pressure ulcers or bed sores. Pressure ulcers are defined as the local damage of skin or tissue that has been caused by pressure and friction (Lam et al., 2018). This dangerous condition is frequently associated with insufficient nursing care.
However, research indicates that the risk of developing pressure ulcers depends more on the patient’s condition than on nurses’ attitude (Mallah, Nassar, & Kurdahi Badr, 2015). Most frequently, the cases of pressure ulcers are recorded in patients staying at intensive care units. Such prevalence is related to the fact that these individuals are immobile, which is the primary indication for the development of bedsores.
Main body
One of the most successful ways of preventing pressure ulcers is risk assessment. Qaseem, Mir, Starkey, and Denberg (2015) differentiate between the following risk assessment tools: the Waterlow scale, the Cubbin, Braden, Norton, and Jackson scales. However, it is mentioned that all of these tools have a low sensitivity to single outpatients at risk for developing pressure ulcers. Thus, one of the viable solutions is presented with preventive interventions. There is a variety of interventions offered: nutritional supplementation, low-air-low bed, wheelchair cushions, advanced static mattresses, and others (Qaseem et al., 2015).
Still, scholars admit that the quantity of interventions does not correspond to their quality. As a result, some new approaches are needed to relieve the condition of many patients suffering not only from immobility but also from its complications.
Conclusion
A novel approach to preventing pressure ulcers has been introduced recently. Lam et al. (2018) note that using pressure ulcer prevention protocols may help healthcare workers to avoid the development of bedsores in their patients. In particular, scholars suggest that since pressure ulcers develop in three days upon admission, it is necessary to pay thorough attention to the patients during these three days. So far, there is not enough evidence on the productivity of this method, but the current project aims at evaluating the benefits of such protocols for patients.
References
Lam, C., Elkbuli, A., Benson, B., Young, E., Morejon, O., Boneva, D.,… McKenney, M. (2018). Implementing a novel guideline to prevent hospital-acquired pressure ulcers in a trauma population: A patient-safety approach. Journal of the American College of Surgeons, 226(6), 1122-1127.
Mallah, Z., Nassar, N., & Kurdahi Badr, L. (2015). The effectiveness of a pressure ulcer intervention program on the prevalence of hospital acquired pressure ulcers: Controlled before and after study. Applied Nursing Research, 28(2), 106-113.
Qaseem, A., Mir, T. P., Starkey, M., & Denberg, T. D. (2015). Risk assessment and prevention of pressure ulcers: A clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians. Annals of Internal Medicine, 162(5), 359-369.