Recent studies argue that medical professionals need to choose the right wound dressing material as they seek to avoid chronic wounds. Chronic wounds could raise healthcare costs in the entire medical system and patients also. Therefore, patients with wound conditions require proper medical attention to improve physiologic wound healing and repair in the long term. Research should focus on creating appropriate interventions that stimulate the wound environment and encourage a wide range of processes during the inflammatory period, proliferative, as well as remodeling phases. The inflammatory stage entails the clearing of pathogens or preferably foreign materials with the help of cytokines and damage the environment (Dhivyaa, Padmab, & Santhinia, 2015). Also, the concept of oxygen supply and its interaction with cytokinesis critical in the wound healing environment to ensure the active proliferation of cells.
Accordingly, depending on the severity of both dermal and epidermal skin layers, dressing materials can help heal acute wound conditions between two to three months. Silver products increase regeneration and growth during the healing process, thus catalyze the healing of chronic wounds. Such products increase the homeostasis and coagulation process, the inflammatory stage, the development of new tissues, and improved maturation of modern fabrics (Dhivyaa, Padmab, & Santhinia, 2015). This paper seeks to address issues relating to would care as well as the benefits that emanate from the use of silver products for the care of wound patients in the long-term.
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Plan
In a recent study, chronic wound conditions are a significant burden on the entire healthcare system. Healthcare practitioners need to understand both the optimal type of wound dressing to apply as well as wound etiology. The kind of wound dressing chosen depends on essential wound characteristics. Healthcare professionals should determine the optimal dressing to use to facilitate the wound healing process. Recently, researchers have intensified studies as they seek to design optimal wound dressing methodologies that enhance healing during the process by incorporating antimicrobial agents. It is challenging to choose the best would dressing technique, given the full range of dressing alternatives available. In the 1960s, healthcare practitioners believed that moisture-laden environments facilitated the healing of chronic wounds ( Dabiri, Damstetter, & Phillips, 2016) . Ever since researchers have designed numerous wound dressing alternatives that aim to optimize wound moisture and thus facilitate ideal environments for would healing.
Today, numerous dressing alternative is designed to protect wounds against infection-causing pathogens and facilitate the wound healing process. Moisturized dressing creates a low oxygen tension that enhances the inflammatory phase and also improves the re-epithelialization rate. Besides, moisture allows for autolytic debridement, which further promotes wound healing. Traditionally, healthcare professionals applied dry gauze dressing, which caused further injury and pain when removed. Basic types of wound dressings include semipermeable films and low adherent dressings that help restrict the penetration of liquid as well as pathogens while allowing oxygen water vapor through ( Dabiri, Damstetter, & Phillips, 2016) .
According to Ubbink et al ., (2015), c hronic wound care problem in the healthcare system is solved by the application of an optimal wound dressing method. Alginate wound dressing procedures entail different forms, such as the application of pads, ribbons, ropes, and flat sheets. Also, pillows and flat sheets are suited for the treatment of superficial wounds. Strings and fabrics, on the other hand, are used as a filling of cavity wounds. Some of these techniques entail self-adhesive backing.
Nevertheless, secondary dressing is used in alginate dressing mostly. It is essential to select the most convenient secondary dressing method since it determines the performance of the alginate dressing. Today, silver has seen a widespread application in alginate wound dressings. Silver is widely applied in pre-treatment preparation for patients suffering from ulcers to enhance the wound healing process. Also, silver preparations are used in numerous medical applications, such as infection prevention and prevention, to promote healing. Silver has antimicrobial reactions as it interacts with fungal cell membranes and infection-causing bacteria. Body fluids, tissue exudates, and water help in the ionization of silver metal and its inorganic compounds. The released silver ions help in antimicrobial action. As well, a silver dressing eliminates exudates and maintains moisture in the wound. A silver dressing is effective in combating a broad spectrum of bacteria most associated with infections, including fungi and Methicillin-resistant microorganisms. PVP/alginate dressing involving silver is a highly reliable treatment intervention for a wound. It has high fluid absorption capacity, increased moisture permeability, and demonstrates the ability to inhibit microbial growth ( Ubbink et al ., 2015) .
Implementation
Parties interested in the proposal include healthcare practitioners, patients, and scholars. Knowledge derived from this paper is of significant value to physicians. It enables healthcare practitioners to identify the best wound treatment method for the patient to improve the quality of healthcare. Silver ions disorients and disrupts micro-organisms’ cell walls effectively to eliminate the probability of replication. Doctors will use this knowledge in the use of silver to denature DNA and RNA to prevent wound conditions worsening ( Ubbink et al ., 2015) . Anti-bacterial activity of silver compounds prevents chronic wounds from mutant bacteria that are resistant to drugs and hence curtail the proliferation of pathogens in the clinical environment.
Besides, patients will benefit in that the proposal provides reliable information on the right dressing material to avoid worsening the wound conditions, hence elevate treatment costs. Patients will receive proper attention in the long-term and thus enhance wound repair physiologically. Also, adequate healthcare interventions improve wound environment and support inflammatory, proliferative, as well as remodeling phases towards complete healing. Lastly, this proposal presents research gaps in areas that need improvement concerning the use of silver products in wound care. This proposal fails to provide a reliable explanation concerning the frequency and timing of surgical debridement associated with wound dressings ( Rodriguez-Arguello et al ., 2018) . As well, physicians need to undertake clinical trials to determine the imminent relationship between cost-effectiveness and silver-dressing interventions.
Accordingly, care for wounds characterized by acute etiology and wound pain is implemented through psychosocial and local analgesia strategies. Psychosocial strategies entail diversion, education, and information, as well as the motivation of day planning, exercise, social activities, and relaxation for patients with chronic wound conditions. Implementation through local analgesia strategies entails non-pharmacological measures. Such an action relates to the use of non-adhesive dressings, minimize wound exposure to ultraviolet light, preserves the moist wound environment, and protection of the surrounding skin — also, implementation of entails involvement in all the necessary stakeholders in wound care to improve healthcare results. Empirical evidence regarding wound care should be merged while taking into account applicability, patient preferences, and generalizability to critical issues relating to clinical practice ( Paul & Sharma, 2015) . Relevant guidelines about implementation call for uniformity of policies regarding the remedy for acute wounds to enhance quality as well as effectiveness in wound care.
The application of knowledge derived from this proposal requires both patients and healthcare to be educated on the same. Patients are instructed on reasonable expectations as the wound heals. These could include signs of bacterial infections, alarm symptoms, and complications. As well, acute superficial acute injuries such as graces are protected against exposure to harmful ultraviolet light for a period not exceeding three months. Wound protection against the sun prevents impairment of the healing process and pigmentation differences. The healthcare practitioners, on the other hand, need education on the importance of being informed about the patient characteristics, treatment plan, and treatment goals ( Ubbink et al ., 2015) . Finally, the Red-Yellow-Black and TIME scheme is used for wound classification purposes.
Limitations relating to the implementation of the capstone paper include an insufficient account of how to use silver products in the treatment of chronic would in the long-term. The proposal concentrates on the use of non-adhesive wound dressing methods and on acute care, which is relatively less effective in wound treatment about healing time, risk of infection, and pain. Research limitations relating to this proposal are eliminated by conducting further studies to fill the knowledge gaps. Han & Ceilley (2017) notes that future studies should relate to ideas ascertaining that the constant release of the silver compound on that wound environment yield retained efficacy. There is a need for additional insights on the use of silver products in wound care in the long-term ( Han & Ceilley, 2017) . The weaknesses and limitation of this proposal lie in its inadequacy to offer a clear account of the use of silver products to eliminate bacteria when incorporated into the polymeric matrix.
Evaluation and Dissemination
Rodriguez-Arguello et al ., (2018) s tudies relating to the application of silver-impregnated dressings indicates its effectiveness in enhancing clinical outcomes. Silver agents are expected to have positive effects when used in wound treatment interventions. Previous research suggests effectiveness in wound treatments and healing when the silver agent is used alongside phototherapy as opposed to the application of silver treatment solely. Also, the use of silver treatment yields cost-effectiveness in healthcare as compared to other treatment alternatives. There is an improvement in healing rates for treatment that involved the use of silver products as compared to other treatment interventions. As well, the use of silver agents in chronic would treatment is expected to yield significant improvements in tissue changes. Additionally, silver dressing intervention indicated lower chances of wounds recurring among the treated patients. Studies suggest that injuries treated using silver products had a lower chance of infection emanating from the bacterial load ( Rodriguez-Arguello et al ., 2018) . Also, silver-dressed wounds show improvement in exude management.
This paper offers a critical review of six journals addressing research into the significance of using silver products in wound care. There are numerous silver-impregnated methods used in the treatment of chronic wounds. Studies indicate insufficient scientific evidence concerning the effectiveness of silver-impregnated clinical interventions in chronic wound treatment. Parameters for evaluation of silver product effectiveness in wound treatments include changes in wound size, costs, and wound exude. A significant goal for conducting this research paper entailed the identification of evidence-based academic literature on the application of silver dressings in patients with prolonged wounds. As well, this primary objective sought to help in decision pertaining selection of best clinical results for the assessment of silver agents in the future. Despite the identified variables such as healing rate, micro-organisms load, and reduction in wound size, there no standardized methodology concerning how the results were measures ( Rodriguez-Arguello et al ., 2018) . Therefore, it was difficult to compare research findings across the available studies.
Data collection depends on key research findings of the given studies. The study did not apply statistical analysis given the nature of available academic sources. The result of all respective reviews was analyzed and harnessed into a unified piece of scholarly literature. Also, the study was characterized by a lack of clear definition regarding the evaluation of the outcome measures. Reference journals used different research designs that made it challenging to compare the research findings of the respective sources.
Moreover, measures were inconsistent among the studies, thus difficult to compare the information. However, the subjective nature of observations could be eliminated by the introduction of standardized or rather baseline characteristics to assess healing progress. All the articles were written in the English language, thus removing the exclusion of significantly informative sources ( Rodriguez-Arguello et al ., 2018) . Interestingly, there is a possibility of presenting this project outside of the classroom, mainly in a healthcare practitioner’s annual conference. The presentation will involve enlightening physicians about crucial aspects of wound care. Various wound treatment strategies fail to realize complete healing. However, the use of silver dressing material ensures routine healing is achieved, thus improving the quality of health care.
Conclusion
Conclusively, this paper presented a critical evaluation of existing academic literature about the use of silver dressing materials for wound treatment. Therefore, it is a solid ground to inform, offer guidance, and provide valuable insights regarding possibilities for future review on the use of silver treatment on chronic wounds. Heterogeneous findings of the literature analysis are attributed to the different nature of interventions used as well as the kind of silver product used. Additionally, heterogeneity research designs, results, and measures contributed to diverse findings of the application of silver products in clinical environments. Accordingly, future clinical interventions should specialize in assessing the safety of the dressings and development of a clear understanding of the parameters under evaluation ( Aderibigbe & Buyana, 2018) . Finally, further research needs to be conducted to innovate new wound treatment methods, thus improve the quality of healthcare in society.
References
Aderibigbe, B., & Buyana, B. (2018). Alginate in wound dressings. Pharmaceutics , 10 (2), 42. Retrievedfrom: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6027439/pdf/pharmaceuti cs-10- 00042.pdf
Dabiri, G., Damstetter, E., & Phillips, T. (2016). Choosing a wound dressing based on common wound characteristics. Advances in wound care , 5 (1), 32-41. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4717498/pdf/wound.2014.0586.pdf
Dhivyaa, S., Padmab, V. V. & Santhinia, E. (2015). Review article: Wound dressings – a review. BioMedicine, 5(4), 24-28. China Medical University. Retrieved from:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4662938/pdf/40681_2015_Article_22.pdf
Han, G., & Ceilley, R. (2017). Chronic wound healing: a review of current management and treatments. Advances in therapy , 34 (3), 599-610. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5350204/pdf/12325_2017_Article_478.pdf
Paul, W., & Sharma, C. P. (2015). Alginates: Wound Dressings. In Encyclopedia of Biomedical Polymers and Polymeric Biomaterials, 11 Volume Set (pp. 134-146). CRC Press. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/278076825_Alginate_Wound_Dressing_History_and_Advanced_Wound_Care
Rodriguez-Arguello, J., Lienhard, K., Patel, P., Geransar, R., Somayaji, R., Parsons, L., ... & Ho, C. (2018). A scoping review of the use of silver-impregnated dressings for the treatment of chronic wounds. Ostomy Wound Manage , 64 , 14-31. Retrieved from: https://www.o-wm.com/article/scoping-review-use-silver-impregnated-dressings-treatment-chronic-wounds
Ubbink, D. T., Brölmann, F. E., Go, P. M., & Vermeulen, H. (2015). Evidence-based care of acute wounds: a perspective. Advances in wound care , 4 (5), 286-294. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4432965/pdf/wound.2014.0592.pdf
