The clinical problem selected in this case is pressure ulcers among hospitalized patients. Pressure ulcers develop mainly in immobilized patients due to the localized skin injury arising from the damage caused to skin cells due to pressure exerted by when lying down for prolonged periods (Pittman et al., 2015). Therefore, nurses should come up with effective strategies for preventing this occurrence. One such approach is turning or repositioning patients with decreased mobility to relieve the pressure exerted on certain parts of the body (Sharp et al., 2019). Therefore, the PICOT question will be: – In hospitalized patients with decreased mobility (P), repositioning or turning the patient at frequent intervals (I), as compared to not turning or repositioning (C), will reduce the development of pressure ulcers (O), in 60 days (T).
Repositioning and turning immobilized patients is an evidence-based practice to prevent the development of pressure ulcers. According to Bhattacharya and Mishra (2015), when soft tissues are pressed against the bed for prolonged periods, they are likely to become damaged due to the pressure exerted in the process. Latimer et al. (2015), argue that repositioning hospitalized patients relieves the pressure exerted on soft tissues, which prevents the damage of the underlying cells. This process ultimately prevents the development of pressure ulcers, as indicated in the PICOT question.
In relation to nursing intervention, nurses are the primary caregivers involved in interacting with hospitalized patients. In a hospital set-up, one of the major roles of nurses is to take care of patients. Therefore, repositioning immobilized patients at regular intervals to prevent the development of pressure ulcers will be a nursing intervention. In the end, this exercise will result in positive patient outcomes because the affected clients will experience better health outcomes.
Additionally, the PICOT question addresses a central aspect of patient care. One of the main objectives of patient care is to ensure that patients get the best services to improve their health and wellbeing. Therefore, in hospitalized patients, repositioning them regularly to prevent the development of pressure ulcers will be part of their care. Their stay in the hospital will not be prolonged and they will likely recover easily from their conditions that caused their hospitalization in the first place.
In terms of healthcare agencies, hospitals are supposed to create an environment that fosters quick recovery of patients. In this case, immobilized hospitalized patients should be taken care of in a way that does not aggravate their conditions. Pressure ulcers could be termed as hospital-acquired conditions because they occur as a result of a patient being in a hospital. Therefore, the PICOT question is in line with this concept of healthcare agency whereby hospitals play a central role in the recovery of patients.
In nursing practice, nurses are expected to perform various roles, responsibilities, functions, and activities in the process of taking care of patients. In the context of preventing pressure ulcers in hospitalized patients through regular repositioning as indicated in the PICOT question, nurses will be executing their roles and duties as covered in nursing practice. Part of nursing practice is the prevention of illnesses even as nurses care for the sick. Therefore, preventing the development of pressure ulcers will be within the framework of nursing practice. In the end, implementing the PICOT question will result in improved patient outcomes by ensuring that the affected individuals experience better care outcomes.
References
Latimer, S., Chaboyer, W., & Gillespie, B. M. (2015). The repositioning of hospitalized patients with reduced mobility: A prospective study. Nursing Open, 2(2), 85–93.
Pittman, J., Beeson, T., Kitterman, J., Lancaster, S., & Shelly, A. (2015). Medical device-related hospital-acquired pressure ulcers. Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing, 42(2), 151-154.
Sharp, C. A., Schulz Moore, J. S., & McLaws, M. L. (2019). Two-hourly repositioning for prevention of pressure ulcers in the elderly: Patient safety or elder abuse? Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, 16(1), 17–34.