Pressure ulcers are wounds on the membrane and the underlying muscles brought by excessive pressure on a certain part of the membrane. Pressure Ulcers are common on the heels, spine, elbows, the base of the spine, and hips. Early symptoms include; the part of the body under pressure loses its color, and when that part is pressed, it remains discolored; finally, that part of the skin feels hard or spongy in other cases (MV, 2019). Later symptoms include an open wound or blister in the area under pressure. If no medical attention is given on time, the wound may deepen and reach the muscle or bones after passing through the deepest layers of the skin.
Research Questions
Getting pressure ulcers while in hospital has an upsetting effect on the patient and their loved ones. This reveals the gap between patients and the nurses because the nurse must ensure that the patient does not get blisters. This project will focus on three questions:
- In a hospital setting, how does the implementation of a pressure ulcer toolkit together with an automatic repositioner for a patient help to reduce pressure ulcers, and to what extent?
- What are some of the reasons that cause nurses to leave their patients unattended to the extent of acquiring pressure ulcers, and how can they be addressed?
- What are some of the nursing interventions on pressure ulcer intervention?
Basic Research Designs
The qualitative and quantitative methods were used in these research surveys. Clinical attitude surveys assess the leadership in that hospital to determine whether they are capable of ensuring that the nurses perform their duties as required (Alhassan, 2021). Formative and summative surveys are to help to know the extent of the organization is ready to embrace the preventive measures of pressure ulcers (Wilson, 2019). Analyzing the number of patients with pressure ulcers per week will aid in knowing the rate at which it occurs. By knowing the rate at which it occurs, conclusions will be made on the level of negligence in that hospital. Surveying the patient wards will help in knowing the condition under which the patients are admitted in order to determine whether ulcer pressure is the main cause.
Interviewing the nurses, patients and managers is another qualitative design applied. Nurses will aid in knowing other causes of pressure ulcers and their preventive measures. Clinicians will also provide information about the effort of the hospital managers in the prevention of pressure ulcers. Patients will explain the impact pressure ulcers has on them and their families. Finally, interviewing the managers will reveal the measures in place or anything they are planning that will help reduce this pressure ulcer. To what extent had the implemented plans of the stakeholders reduced the condition, for example, the use of a repositioner.
Attending discussion sessions of the workers and employees will help analyze whether pressure ulcer prevention is a priority or not. Reviewing of literature was another design applied in these research surveys. First-aid measures on the patient with the early symptoms before taking them to the hospital are to be acquired from books also (Kalalo & Kalalo, 2018). Analyzing the long-term effects and the appropriate medical attention is to be acquired from books. Then proper comparison will be made with what is offered in the hospital and what is written in books.
Questions Used
Pressure Ulcers is not an abrupt occurrence but it grows in stages and they are four in general. First the area looks red and feels warm when it is touched, second the area may have an opening and it looks more damaged than the previous look. Third below the skin the area appears like a crater because of the damage caused. Finally when there is no proper action take the wound widens and becomes more visible.
Analytical Methods
This research aims to know what pressure ulcers are and their main causes. Prevention measures and both the early and late symptoms are also to be known after the project. The analysis of the data acquired is to be done by wound care nurses. The nurses will diagnose the different stages that each patient is ailing from. Analyzing a patient at the risk of acquiring pressure ulcers was done by the Braden Scale (Unal & Yuksekdag, 2019). Braden scale also helps in knowing the extent of the ulcers.
Qualitative data of the nurse attending to patients was presented on a frequency table to know the number of patients that were unattended and out of that number how many have been affected by pressure ulcers. Interviews were recorded, and the points were written down later, together with the depicted facial expressions. A summative survey will help to know the number of patients who have avoided the risk of getting pressure ulcers with the help of the repositioner.
Close communication of the patients with the nurses will also help know when to get attention and when they need repositioning if the automatic repositioner is not available. Silent surveys helped answer the second question of these projects. Silently trying to investigate where the attention of the nurses is when they are supposed to be attending to patients without their knowledge will deliver good results. The security cameras are also to be analyzed to give information on how health workers attend to patients.
Conclusion
Pressure ulcers are a preventable disease that needs the proper cooperation of the patients and nurses. The late symptoms occur if the early symptoms are not treated. Having automatic repositioners for patients or alarms to remind nurses to check on patients are some of the preventive measures. Cases of patients getting affected by pressure ulcers in hospitals can be considered an offense, especially if it is brought about by delayed attendance or negligence of nurses.
References
Alhassan, A. (2021). Hepatitis B knowledge, attitude and vaccination status among nurses of tamale central hospital, Ghana. Clinical Research and Clinical Trials, 3(4), 01-08. Web.
Kalalo, J., & Kalalo, C. (2018). Legal protection against health workers in taking first aid medical measures. Musamus Law Review, 1(1), 40-52. Web.
MV, K. (2019). Pressure Wounds and Skin Failure Secondary Scurvy. Prevention with Early Vitamin Micro Nutrient Supplements. Nursing & Healthcare International Journal, 3(1). Web.
Unal, E., & Yuksekdag, S. (2019). A Mini-Review on the Risk Assessment Scale Scoring Systems for Pressure (Decubitus) Ulcers: Norton, Braden or Waterlow Scales. Acta Scientific Orthopaedics, 2(8), 30-31. Web.
Wilson, C. (2019). Portfolios in Postgraduate Medical Training: a Formative or Summative Tool?. Mededpublish, 8(1). Web.