Introduction
Many patients suffer from various conditions that require prolonged hospitalization. This evidence-based practice has remained a risk factor for pressure ulcers. The purpose of this paper is to give a detailed description of this topic and its significance to nursing practice. It goes further to present three PICOT questions that can guide future studies aimed at addressing this problem.
Topic Description and Background Information
Pressure ulcers affect many patients whose conditions make it impossible for them to change their sleeping positions. Fremmelevholm and Soegaard (2019) define them as injuries to underlying tissues and the skin that result from prolonged pressure. Some of the areas affected the most include tailbones, hops, and heels. The occurrence of these additional medical problems requires proper attention and care. The common treatment methods for pressure ulcers including removing or reducing the level of pressure, dressing the affected wound, and cleaning the area. However, the entire process can be tedious or even prolong the patient’s healing period.
Without proper attention or care, these sores might become problematic and trigger additional problems. For instance, the ulcers might worsen and eventually result in new infections. Affected individuals should be monitored continuously. Due to the nature of this health issue, it has been necessary for medical professionals and hospital managers to implement powerful strategies to prevent pressure ulcers in their respective facilities. Some of the identified ones include reposition of patients, skin and tissue inspection, proper mattresses, and introduction of nurse training programs (Soban, Kim, Yuan, & Miltner, 2017). New researches are still being undertaken to present additional ideas for improving the patients’ experiences and medical outcomes.
Significance to Nursing Practice
The selected topic is essential since it seeks to present new solutions to a major challenge affecting both practitioners and caregivers. When patients develop pressure ulcers, the chances are high that the expenses incurred will increase. Similarly, nurses have to work for more hours to provide good care to the identified patients. This means that the available time and resources allocated for treating various conditions are consumed by patients with pressure ulcers (Cano et al., 2015).
The implementation of powerful measures to prevent these conditions in medical facilities will make it possible for nurses to offer exemplary services. The level of fatigue will also reduce significantly since the percentage of individuals with pressure ulcers will reduce. Those in the nursing profession will have adequate time to pursue their personal and career goals (Soban et al., 2017). The end result is that more hospitalized patients will receive high-quality, personalized, and coordinated care from their practitioners.
PICOT Questions
- How does turning (I) a patient with decreased mobility (P) frequently as compared to not turning (C) reduce pressure ulcers (O) within a period of 90 days (T)?
- How does the redistribution of support surfaces (I) for patients with reduced mobility (P) as compared to not redistributing surfaces (C) reduce pressure ulcers (O) within two months (T)?
- In admitted patients with reduced mobility (P), how can the training of nurses on pressure ulcer (I) prevention as compared to not empowering them (C) reduce pressure ulcers (O) within a year (T)?
Conclusion
The above discussion has identified pressure ulcers as a major health challenge in many hospital settings. Nurses and other professionals should consider the nature of this problem and introduce superior preventative measures in their respective units. The implementation of the outlined PICOT questions will deliver new findings and guidelines for tackling this problem and empowering people to pursue their aims. More nurses will become empowered and eventually realize their maximum potential.
References
Cano, A., Anglade, D., Stamp, H., Joaquin, F., Lopez, J. A., Lupe, L., … Young, D. L. (2015). Improving outcomes by implementing a pressure ulcer prevention program (PUPP): Going beyond the basics. Healthcare, 3(3), 574-585. Web.
Fremmelevholm, A., & Soegaard, K. (2019). Pressure ulcer prevention in hospitals: A successful nurse-led clinical quality improvement intervention. British Journal of Nursing, 28(6), S6-S11. Web.
Soban, L. M., Kim, L., Yuan, A. H., & Miltner, R. S. (2017). Organizational strategies to implement hospital pressure ulcer prevention programs: Findings from a national survey. Journal of Nursing Management, 25(6), 457-467. Web.