Benchmark - Capstone Project Change Proposal

Title: Pressure Ulcers

Student Name: Vladimir Andino

Institution: GCU

Date: 01/27/2019

High cases of pressure ulcers are recorded with patients who have been admitted to hospitals. It is a skin and tissue which is highly identified with people who are bed-bound or those people who have little or no mobility. Therefore, it is a condition that I have seen with most patients who have been admitted to the hospital. This condition is therefore important and needs to be addressed in order to come up with solutions on how to deal with it.

Pressure ulcers can be described as a condition where the skin and the underlying tissues are injured due to applied pressure on that point for a very long time. It is also referred to as bed sore (Chauhan, 2012). It affects areas which are bony such as elbows and knees. The major symptom of pressure ulcers are deep wounds at the affected area. In severe cases, the wounds may reach the bones and this may cause other complications on the patient if not treated. It mainly affects older people and patients who have been confined in their hospital bed (Jaul, 2010). However, it is a manageable condition especially if treated at an early stage.

The impact of Pressure ulcers on the working environment is that it has led to the incorporation of more specialized care on the patients. The nurses have to change the patient’s position frequently. This further implies that nurses have to be more careful and offer additional help to the patients. However, it impacts the patient negatively. Pressure ulcers lead to other complications that in turn lead to death. It is a condition that also comes with a lot of pain, discomfort and more days in hospitals (Professor, 2009).

The significance of this topic is that it has brought awareness of Pressure ulcers. People are now aware of this condition and are taking measures to prevent it (R, 2008). One implication on nursing is that nursing patterns have to change. This is because when dealing with pressure ulcers, special attention is given to patients. Also, the nurses have to take initiative to educate patients on ways to deal with Pressure ulcers. With Pressure ulcers awareness, patients will comply more and adhere to the measures of managing pressure ulcers. Therefore the main implication on nursing is creating awareness to patients and guiding them on how to deal with pressure ulcers.

As a solution to this problem, nurses should be engaged in a health program dealing with Pressure ulcers. Under these programs, the nurses will be equipped with skills and knowledge on how to deal with patients with pressure ulcers (Irene M.JankowskiR.N, 2011). They will also learn how to detect pressure ulcers at early stages. Another solution to this problem is the availability of equipment for measuring pressure on the vulnerable areas. This will help in the detection of pressure ulcers before they become severe (Jill Cox, 2011). Finally, a health program for patients raising the awareness of Pressure ulcers is very important. This is because they will have the basic information on how to prevent, detect and deal with pressure ulcers (Levine, 2012)

In conclusion, Pressure ulcers have been on the rise and they have to be dealt with. Having identified who it affects, how it is treated and managed, it is up to the nurse, patients, and the public to apply actions which will lead to a reduction of Pressure ulcers cases. In doing this, we will overcome this problem of Pressure Ulcers.

References

Chauhan, K. A. (2012). Pressure ulcers: Back to the basics. Indian Journal of plastic surgery .

Irene M.JankowskiR.N, D. M. (2011). Identifying Gaps, Barriers, and Solutions in Implementing Pressure Ulcer Prevention Programs. The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety .

Jaul, E. (2010). Assessment and Management of Pressure Ulcers in the Elderly. Drugs & Aging .

Jill Cox, R. P. (2011). Predictors of Pressure Ulcers in Adult Critical Care Patients. The Standard for critical care and progressive care nursing education .

Levine, J. M. (2012). Pressure Ulcer Knowledge in Medical Residents: An Opportunity for Improvement. Skin and Wound care .

MD, C. K. (n.d.). Human skin wounds: A major and snowballing threat to public health and the economy. The International journal of tissue repair and regeneration .

Professor, C. G. (2009). Impact of Pressure Ulcers on Quality of Life in Older Patients: A Systematic Review. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society .

R, F. (2008). Decreasing the incidence of heel pressure ulcers in long-term care by increasing awareness: results of a 1-year program. Europe PMC .