Introduction
Pressure ulcers are one of the health conditions with which nurses are constantly struggling since they can affect the health of patients to a significant degree. Even though contemporary evidence-based medicine offers many ways to prevent this undesirable phenomenon, the percentage of patients developing this severe condition is stably high. The purpose of this paper is to propose an idea for the evidence-based project proposal aimed at eliminating pressure ulcers in hospital settings.
Idea Description and Rationale
Pressure ulcers are a condition in which the integrity of the skin is compromised due to disturbed blood circulation and innervation of the area, which occurs due to prolonged pressure. In a hospital setting, the necrosis of soft tissue occurs in patients who have remained in the same lying position for a long time. If the patient does not receive immediate interventions, the necrosis is likely to spread to the depth so that it will reach the bone and tendon forming necrosis in the muscle layer (Dziedzic, 2013). According to evidence-based medicine, the effectiveness of pressure ulcer treatment depends on the stage and extent of soft tissue damage. However, preventing the development of this pathology in immobilized patients should become the top priority since tissue necrosis is more difficult to treat than to prevent it.
In that matter, nurses should take the leading role in pressure ulcer prevention. They should actively engage patients and their families in education to ensure that the process of care is multifaceted (Dziedzic, 2013). At present, such common practices as hourly rounding and other measures do not produce the desired results; therefore, the need for more effective interventions is clear.
The core of the idea for the evidence-based project (EBP) proposal lies in the combination of nursing interventions to ensure effective pressure ulcer prevention. The importance of carrying out an evidence-based project lies in the fact that it would provide the key stakeholders with an understanding that combined methods are more effective in combating the issue (Grove, Burns, & Gray, 2014). A research project will provide insights into the current practices solely while an EBP project will gather the accumulated knowledge to produce an advanced intervention.
Issue, Intervention, and Expected Outcomes
The main issue to be addressed is the use of the combined intervention. The measure will center on increased patient education accompanied by nursing interventions and greater family engagement in the process of care to minimize the possibility of pressure ulcer emergence (Dziedzic, 2013). It can be assumed that a sufficient amount of evidence can be gathered on each of these interventions separately. The expected outcome of the EBP project is the reduced number of patients suffering from pressure ulcers achieved through enhanced patient care.
Role Specialization
The EBP project is relevant to the author’s role specialization since nurse practitioners encounter patients suffering from pressure ulcers quite often. At present, nurses are given greater autonomy and have a wider scope of practice; therefore, they should seize the opportunity to enhance the process of care. They should actively engage patients and their families in the process of care to ensure their continuity (Dziedzic, 2013). Since continuity of care is one of the critical aspects of pressure ulcer prevention, nurses can engage clients in it, evaluate whether such measures are effective, and serve as advocates of change.
Conclusion
Thus, it can be concluded that pressure ulcers are frequently met in hospital settings, and they affect the quality of life of patients. Numerous interventions have been developed to eliminate the possibility of tissue necrosis; nevertheless, they cannot be considered effective enough. Therefore, the EBP project will center on the development of a combined intervention to combat the discussed issue.
References
Dziedzic, M. E. (2013). Fast facts about pressure ulcer care for nurses: How to prevent, detect, and resolve them in a nutshell. New York, NY: Springer.
Grove, S. K., Burns, N., & Gray, J. R. (2014). Understanding nursing research: Building an evidence-based practice (6th ed.). New York, NY: Elsevier.