The journal “Pressure Ulcer Prevention: making a difference across a health authority?” written by Heidi, Downie, McIntyre and Peters shed light on the pressure ulcer situation in hospitals. Pressure ulcers, popularly known as bedsores are a common occurrence in many healthcare facilities. The article discusses the cause, prevention and management of the pressure ulcers. The article further talks about the types of pressure ulcers, the ones that can be controlled and the ones that cannot be prevented. The preventive measures have been evaluated and implemented in the research study. According to the study, 95% of the bedsores can be prevented. This task was commissioned to a research company to explore the communication interventions that would have been most appropriate in helping health professionals curb this problem. The company further went ahead to set a campaign that was used to educate and inform the people working in hospital on the causes and prevention of pressure ulcers. The strategy by the health authority was implemented to make sure that the medical personnel are well versed with the issue at hand to prevent future cases (Heidi et al., 2013).
I selected this article because I have an interest in preventive measures of curing bedsores. I have heard and experienced several cases of bedsores and the impact it has on patients. Most patients end up dying because of severe bedsores and not the initial disease they suffered. This was alarming and I decided to do more research on the pressure ulcers to find out the reason for its high prevalence and if they can be prevented. If the right prevention strategies are implemented, then most patients will escape this dreadful menace. Pressure ulcers are a clinical health concern issue and have to be prevented by proper clinical care, good nutrition and education of the clinical medical staff on the prevention measures that need to be implemented (Department of Health, 2001).
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Problem Statement
Bedsores have been a health hazard to many invalids since time in memorial. Invalids develop the pressure ulcers because of lying in one position. Pressure ulcers have been prevalent in many healthcare facilities and the people that suffer the most are patients who are helpless, have fractures and have been tied to several machines and tubes. The worst thing about the sores is that they begin as a small rush and within a few months, they target the blood vessels making it difficult to treat. The sad truth is that most of the sores are acquired in hospitals and tend to worse due to the pathogen-filled exposure in hospital rooms. Bedsores are rampant in healthcare facilities and the prevention measures need to be thoroughly implemented (Waterlow, 2005).
Purpose of the Project
The project intends to find out the measures that are implemented by medical personnel to ensure that bedsores are eliminated. In as much as it may be difficult to completely curb this menace, several prevention strategies can be implemented to ensure effective overall care of patients in hospitals. A hospital is a place where people seek care to get better, not a place to acquire sores that are a threat to the health of the patient.
Research Questions
Considering the increase in the number of patients with bedsores, it is necessary to think of solutions that will assist in curbing this issue. Below are some research questions that will assist in discovering the intensity and the preventive measures that are implemented to help control the pressure ulcer situation.
Are patients aware that they need to occasionally move to eliminate one of the key risk factors of bedsores?
Are nurses willing to change the position of patients in the intensive health unit?
Are caregivers aware that they need to assist their patient to move every day?
Is there a preventive cure for the ulcers immediately they begin to form?
Whose role is it? Is it the patients’, caregivers’ or the medical personnel’s role to ensure patients are well taken care of and treated?
Is there a need to hire an attendant who will assist in bathing and moving patients who are disabled or extremely sick?
What are the main concerns regarding care of patients in terms of increasing their mobility? Is it a viable option in medical wards that are crammed with patients?
Hypotheses
The medical staff is willing to cooperate and assist patients to prevent the bedsores
Patients are not aware that lying or resting in one position is a major risk factor for the development of bedsores
The patients are well fed and have balanced meals that meet their daily nutrient requirements
All patients do not have bedsores and are at risk of developing the sores due to the long hospital duration.
Methodology
For the research, a public hospital will be selected since it has more people. It is assumed that most of the bedsore incidence rate is higher in public hospitals.
Qualitative
The patients will be randomly selected and asked if they know what bedsores are and the measures they are taking to prevent their occurrence. The population size dictates a sample size of about 120 patients and 20 medical personnel. The nurses will have a questionnaire that will ask if they are concerned about the development of bedsores in their patients and what they are doing to curb this situation. In addition to this, they will be asked if they feel the work is too much for them and if they need assistance.
Quantitative
The actual number of patients who responded to the questionnaire will be taken and recorded. The same will apply to the number of medical personnel who participated in the survey will also be taken. In addition to this, I intend to record the prevalence of bedsores in the hospital among patients in a period of twelve months. This data will be obtained from the patient’s files where I will do an actual count to determine the number of patients who have suffered from pressure ulcers.
Qualified surveyors who will use questionnaires to obtain data from the patients and direct interviews to gather data from the medical personnel will collect the data. The quantitative data will be collected and recorded by the same surveyors and recorded accordingly.
Results
From the data obtained, it can be seen that all healthcare personnel was concerned with the bedsores and about 15 of the staff was actively participating in the care of patients with bedsores whereas 5 were offering free education to new patients to make them aware of the need of mobility while they are in the hospital. The medical staff however said that they did not pay much attention to the skin inspection to determine whether the patient was at risk of developing bedsores. About 85% of the patients were not aware that they could prevent the bedsores by simply following good hygiene practices and avoid sleeping in one position. About 55% of the patient confirmed that they mostly lay in their beds all day long despite the fact that they can comfortably walk around the hospital. About 20% of the patients confirmed that they were afraid of walking around the hospital because they did not want to be traumatized. Most of the patients were not aware that they were at risk of getting bedsores and decided to pay more attention to the preventive measures.
The results obtained from the study will be greatly impact the nursing world. Nurses always have the challenge of ensuring their patients are well taken care of and that the medicines actually work. There is a lot of work that needs to be done to ensure a patient receives optimum care at the health institutions. I believe there is a lot of ignorance revolving around patient care in terms of prevention of the bedsores. Bedsores have been the cause of many deaths in the hospital and something has to be done about it.
Conclusion
In as much as it is argued that not all bedsores can be prevented, I believe there are ways of eliminating these sores and it all lies in effective control and prevention of the pressure ulcers. The medical world needs to look into the various causes of the sores and work out a plan that will be used to eliminate such occurrences. Technologists should also invent machine or instruments that will enhance the mobility of patients, especially the ones in the intensive care unit who are helpless and unconscious. Where there is a will, I strongly believe that a way can always be found. The most effective way to prevent the sores is through enhancing patient mobility which is the first risk factor that needs to be looked reviewed. In addition to this, good nutrition and the use of quality bedding will go a long way into ensuring that quality standards are adhered to in the health centers and that people receive optimum and quality nursing devoid of any gaps. The number of nurse per patient should also be reduced to make sure the nurse is not overwhelmed by the duties in the hospital.
References
Department of Health (2001). Essence of Care. Patient-focused Benchmarking for Health Care Practitioners . The Stationery Office, London
Heidi et al. (2013).Pressure ulcer prevention: making a difference across a health authority? British Journal of Nursing (Tissue Viability Supplement). Vol 22, No 12.
Waterlow, J (2005). Pressure Ulcer Prevention Manual . Waterlow, Taunton.
