Plantar fasciitis is the inflammation of a thick tissue on the bottom of the foot. This tissue is called the plantar fascia and connects the heel bone to the toes, creating the arch of the foot. Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain (heel spurs). It occurs especially among athletes and is caused by the continuous repetition of excessive overload at breech.…
Pressure ulcer prevention (PUP) in surgical patients has become a major interest in acute care hospitals with the increased focus on patient safety and quality of care. A pressure ulcer is any area of skin or underlying tissue that has been damaged by unrelieved pressure or pressure in combination with friction and shear. Pressure ulcers are caused due to diminished blood supply which in turn leads to decreased oxygen and nutrient delivery to the affected tissues (Tschannen, Bates, Talsma, &Guo, 2012). Pressure ulcers can cause extreme discomfort and often lead to serious, life threatening infections, which substantially increase the length of stay and total costs of care and compromise quality of care.…
Pressure ulcers tend to affect people with health conditions that make it difficult to move, especially those confined to lying in a bed or sitting for prolonged periods of time.…
Some of the interventions that can be taken to help minimise the risk of pressure ulcers occurring in those that are at risk, one method is to that the individuals is position is changed on a regular basis, another is to use a pressure relieving device such as a special mattress, bed frame, seat…
Having pressure ulcers especially on stage 4 give impact to individual’s life. Impact may vary from person to person where some patient may feel having pressure ulcers is the worst thing can happen and some can live normally with the ulcers. First impact on having pressure ulcers is on quality of life. People who suffer from pressure ulcers experiencing excruciating pain while doing daily activities such as dressing changes.Individual who suffer from pressure ulcers also suffer from financial problem where they need to deal with expensive healthcare such as medical care charges, medication, trips for appointment and home modification. Next, patients may experience social isolation. Patients may feel isolated when they do the treatment. For…
Patients having severe spinal injuries which prevented them from being repositioned, patients with existing heel pressure ulcers, or under the age of 18 were purposefully excluded from this study. The remaining trauma and critically ill patients admitted to the hospital were the pool from which the study participants were selected.…
In their article published in the June, 2012 issue of Critical Care Nurse, authors Estilo, Angeles, Perez, Hernadez, and Valdez discuss the issue of pressure ulcers on patients in intensive care units. These patients are high risk for pressure ulcers for several reasons. They usually are unable to turn themselves from back to side to relieve pressure on bony areas of the back such as the tailbone. If caregivers do not turn the patient properly, friction and shearing can occur which can lead to pressure ulcers. Medications could interfere with circulation that supplies oxygen to the skin to keep it healthy. Most patients lose weight while in intensive care, causing bones to be more prominent. Failure of caretakers to keep patients clean and dry from incontinence can also contribute to pressure ulcers.…
The NPUAP website has the ability to be a good start for clinicians in the battle of the bedsore. Sullivan & Schoells, (2013) further credit the information given by the NPUAP by stating, “guidance provided by such organizations as the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel, and AHRQ has resulted in successful implementation of bundled evidence-based practices throughout the United States.” It is clear that the information on the NPUAP website is not only valid, but it is based on best practice and is evidence based. Nurses dealing with patients that are susceptible to pressure ulcers are doing themselves and their patients an injustice by not utilizing the tools that the site has to offer. Nurse educators, and wound nurses will find this site especially valuable and would be able to change practices and policies if needed based on the information the site provides. Another nice feature of the site (especially for the busy consumer researching medical information) is the link to Medline and the description it gives of the usefulness of evidence based…
Chronic wounds, such as pressure ulcers, diabetic foot ulcers and venous leg ulcers, constitute an internationally recognised medical condition, affecting millions annually (Keogh, Nelson, Webster, Jolly, Ullman, & Chaboyer, 2013). Currently, healthcare systems are seeking out effective treatment options, such as hydrocolloid dressings, to promote healing of chronic wounds. The application of hydrocolloid dressing has been compared with other dressing types in recent literature to determine the most effective treatment for chronic wounds .Recent literature has indicated to an extent hydrocolloid dressing promotes wound area reduction however; its cost effectiveness remains unknown due to conflicting evidence. Therefore, this essay will discuss five relevant literatures to evaluate clinical effectiveness of hydrocolloid dressings in comparison to other treatments for chronic wounds. Parameters including wound healing effectiveness, dressing performance and cost effectiveness of five multicentre, randomised controlled and comparative studies will be analysed in reference to wound area reduction.…
In patients with nutritional imbalances, the patient is predisposed to developing a pressure ulcer quicker than in a healthier patient. Evaluating which methods to use, according to supportive literature, will guide nurses to implement the appropriate care and treatment for the patient. A comparison cohort study was conducted in order to evaluate two methods for turning and positing and the effects it has on pressure ulcer development. Two methods of positioning were evaluated specifically with the use of pillows (standard of care) to patient positioning system (PPS). Sixty patients from a neurointensive/trauma unit were used for this particular study. A random assignment of patients was designated to one of two teams per standard bed placement practices. Patients who already had a prior pressure ulcer were not included in this study. Evaluation of pressure ulcers were performed on a daily basis and information was collected on the number of staff members that were required to turn the patients. The patients that were turned with standard of care pillows was designated…
The question of the importance of educating nurses on identifying risk factors related to pressure ulcer was addressed. The second article on comprehensive assessment recommends that the clinicians should focus identifying risk factors and patients at risk of developing pressure ulcer (HIGN, 2012). This answers the question of the importance of educating nurses on risk factors. The other two studies shed light on the tools and intervention in prevention and treatment of pressure ulcer. The first article talks about implementing the use of pressure relieving surfaces to relieve pressure prone areas (Mclness, Blasi, Syer, Dumville & Cullum, 2015). The third article suggests that repositioning patients on a scheduled time will assist in preventing ulcer (Gillespi, Chaboyer, Mclness, Kent, witty & Thalib,…
Looking in evidence-based research for an effective strategy to decrease the spread of pressure ulcers is the primary objective for a medical unit that exceeds the national average and is the topic of this research discussion. Most pressure ulcers are preventable. This is an important challenge for nurses. Patients who suffer from complications such as, impaired skin integrity, impact a patient with discomfort, increased hospitalization, and may lead to sepsis.…
NPUAP. National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel. (2010). Pressure Ulcer prevention guidelines. General recommendations. [Online] Available from: http://www.epuap.org/guidelines/Final_Quick_Prevention.pdf…
Pressure ulcers continue to be a prevalent issue in the health care system and causes “pain, slow recovery from morbid conditions, infection and death” (Kwong, Pang, Aboo, & Law, 2009, p. 2609). In the field of nursing turning and repositioning patients is a well-known nursing intervention to prevent development of pressure ulcers. However, many hospitals and facilities still neglect to apply this as a standard policy. This gives room for nurses and nursing aides to overlook the importance of this intervention resulting in increased pressure ulcer development. The purpose of turning and repositioning patients is to prevent oxygen deprivation to skin tissues caused by continuous pressure. The question then becomes whether to standardize policy for patients with a Braden score of less than sixteen to be scheduled for a turn and reposition every two hours to decrease risk of new pressure ulcer development.…
Charles H. and Lindsay E. (2004) Principles of Leg Ulcer Management and Prevention: Educational Booklet. The Wound Care Society. 1.(4): 4-20.…