Practice Issue
The topic
Prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers.
The practice issue related to the topic
Pressure ulcers are often observed in patients with limited motion. This issue causes additional health complications that affect clients’ health conditions adversely. Moreover, its treatment is painful and requires specific complicated medical procedures (Ackroyd-Stolarz, 2014).
The scope of the practice issue
Nurses should do their best to minimalize the adverse influences of specific treatment approaches on patients’ health.
The practice area
The practice area is clinical.
How the practice issue was identified
The practice issue was identified due to unsatisfactory patient outcomes.
Those patients who took medications targeted at the reduction of pressure ulcers and received associated treatment often complain about the pain caused by wounds and bleeding (Samuriwo & Dowding, 2014). This can be explained by the adverse by-effects of the currently used medical procedures (Li, 2016).
Evidence that must be gathered
- Literature search
- Patient Preferences
Literature research allows gathering evidence about the methods of prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers that were used previously. It also reveals patients’ thoughts regarding this issue. Patient preferences provide an opportunity to identify their concerns. In this way, medical workers can develop an appropriate strategy that is likely to benefit them.
Evidence Summary
The practice problem
Pressure ulcers are experienced by patients who have limited motion and are not able to move without assistance while staying in the hospital. The development of this issue during three weeks after hospitalization should be considered, as clients suffer from painful wounds that occur because of the lack of movement and require special treatment that can last for a long period of time (Quaeem et al., 2014). Moreover, expected outcomes are not always achieved, and patients face adverse health outcomes.
The objectives of the related systematic review article
According to the selected article, specific wound-care teams should be developed in order to take care of the patients who suffer from pressure ulcers. The authors focus on the daily activities that should be presented by these professionals. Thus, the major objective is to evaluate their influence on the prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers. In addition to that, Moore, Webster, and Samuriwo (2015) emphasize the necessity to develop new treatment approaches that are likely to have fewer adverse by-effects. They believe that innovative methods are required because many patients cannot recover for a long time.
The questions being addressed in the work and how they relate to the practice issue
The authors address several questions in this article. The main one is “what affects patients’ organs adversely and damages their health after the treatment of pressure ulcers, and how can these causes be prevented?” Another question is, “what are the outcomes and results of the provided treatment?” The answer to it is revealed through the assessment of the risk of bias. Their relation to my practice issue can be explained by the necessity to identify those treatment approaches that can minimalize the risks of adverse health outcomes experienced by patients with limited motion.
The interventions the authors suggest to improve patient outcomes
The authors believe that if patients who are at risk of pressure ulcers or those who have them are treated by a special team of professionals who are focused on the treatment of open wounds, they have more chances to recover faster and avoid damaging their organs. These teams should be diverse and include doctors, nurses, and other professionals from this sphere (Webster et al., 2017).
The main findings by the authors of the systematic review, including the strength of evidence for each main outcome
The authors conclude that patients experience pain because of the received treatment. Wound-care teams can improve the situation. The obtained evidence is trustworthy because it is based on patients’ feedback and professional discussion. However, further research is needed to consider improved treatment.
Evidence-based solutions for the project
Current treatment of pressure ulcers should be improved due to patients’ special needs. Patients’ feedback can be useful in the development of new treatment methods.
Limitations to the studies
The authors used numerous medications, so the most appropriate ones should be selected. Provided suggestions are rather generalized, so individual approaches should be considered.
References
Ackroyd-Stolarz, S. (2014). Improving the prevention of pressure ulcers as a way to reduce health care expenditures. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 186(10), 370-371.
Li, D. (2016). The relationship among pressure ulcer risk factors, incidence and nursing documentation in hospital-acquired pressure ulcer patients in intensive care units. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 25(15-16), 2336-2347.
Moore, Z., Webster, J., & Samuriwo, R. (2015). Wound-care teams for preventing and treating pressure ulcers. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 9(1), 4-22.
Quaeem, A., Humphrey, L. L., Forciea, M. A., Starkey, M., Denberg, T.D., & Clinical Guidelines Committee of the American College of Physicians (2014). Treatment of pressure ulcers: A clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians. Annals of Internal Medicine, 162(5), 370-379.
Samuriwo, R., Dowding, D. (2014). Nurses’ pressure ulcer related judgements and decisions in clinical practice: A systematic review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 51(12), 1667.
Webster, J., Bucknall, T., Wallis, M., McInnes, E., Roberts, S., & Chaboyer, W. (2017). Does participating in a clinical trial affect subsequent nursing management? Post-trial care for participants recruited to the INTACT pressure ulcer prevention trial: A follow-up study. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 71(1), 34.