Bed Sore Case Study

Special dressings and bandages can be used to protect and to speed up the healing of pressure sores.

The aim of this reflection is to describe my personal experience in wound care and its management. Gibbs (1988) reflective cycle has been adapted in order to provide structure to the reflection process.

1. Pressure ulcers, also known as bed sores or pressure sores are injuries of the skin and underlying tissue. They appear when the affected area of skin is under too much pressure. Due to the pressure the blood flow is disrupted, the area does not irrigate, therefore nutrients and oxygen do not reach the skin cells. The skin then breaks and pressure ulcers form

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

We have daily cleaning rotas to ensure the session is clean and we are stopping the spread of infection.

The timing of position changes for pressure ulcer prevention is very limited in the studies that were researched. A study found that adults who were frequently turned every two to three hours did not develop as much pressure ulcers compared to those who were turned less regularly (Lyder

Braden scale (Braden & Makelburts, 2005) use in hospitals allows nurses to identify patients at risk for pressure ulcer based on their sensory perception, mobility, activity, moisture and nutrition. Although the Braden scale is a useful tool but healthcare administrations has yet found the best method to eliminate pressure ulcers or bedsore in intensive care units. The use of foam dressing will be introduced to the intensive

Due to the patient being bedridden and immobile they often lie in the same position for long periods of time without being moved and the pressure on the skin can cause a sore and infection. If left untreated can cause serious problems and may result in surgery.

It is important to avoid or prevent the vulnerable areas or where sores has already formed. Regularly changing position or moving helps to prevent pressure sores developing in a vulnerable areas or to relieve already existing ones.

J to prevent hospital acquired pressure ulcers. Frequent turning, repositioning, meticulous skin care and assessment are appropriate steps that would be taken to prevent pressure ulcers.

"Hospital-acquired pressure ulcers were shown to be an important risk factor associated with mortality," per Dr. Courtney Lyder, of the UCLA School of Nursing. "It is incumbent upon hospitals to identify individuals at high risk for these ulcers and implement preventive interventions immediately upon admission." Pressure ulcers, also known as bedsores often occurs when patients have limited mobility and unable to reposition themselves in bed causing injury caused by pressure, friction and

study has shown that children under the age of eight absorb twice the amount of radiation

20). Further, the presence of pressure ulcers places a burden on patients and their family (Grinspun, 2005, p.21). As recommended by Grinspun (2005), pillows and foam wedges to separate prominences of the body and lifting devices have been beneficial to avoid friction (p. 32). Research suggests that the majority of pressure ulcers can be avoided. Although, the population at risk likely suffers from the possible contributors, as stated repositioning at least every 2 hours or sooner was effective (Grinspun, 2005, p. 32). When practicing I will reposition patients at appropriate times to reduce the risk of damage to the skin. Additionally, when moving a patient up in bed, I will request adequate assistance from other nursing staff to use a lifting device. This will help to avoid friction while the patient is being moved, ultimately reducing the development of pressure

Call light usage is a common way to be able to keep track of patient satisfaction. While nurses do one hour rounds they can get more done in less time, by going room to room and being able to confront positioning issues for patients as they arise. When a patient develops pressure ulcer in a hospital setting it is a major issue and called a never event. “The term ‘Never Event’ was first introduced in 2001 by Ken Kizer, MD, former CEO of the National Quality Forum (NQF), about particularly shocking medical errors (such as wrong-site surgery) that should never occur” (“Never Events”, 2009). If a never event happens it is common for the hospital to comp the patients stay. Per Ford (2010),” Turning and repositioning are considered basic nursing care. When nursing staff members maintain regular turning and positioning schedules with their patients, pressure ulcer rates on inpatient cases can decrease by up to 56%” (p.190). This study show that hourly rounding would have a positive impact on both the patient and the nurse’s satisfaction by allowing them to be more efficient and a less stressful atmosphere.

The three main reasons I believed Ms. Blake is currently bed ridden are; Firstly, diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), which can cause her to have a lack of energy contributing to her feeling of tiredness and weakness. According to the American Diabetes Association (2017), DKA occurs due to ketones in the body which are released when the body breaks down fats for energy because of a lack of insulin, resulting in symptoms such as a constant feeling of extreme tiredness, difficulty breathing, confusion, lack of concentration and sometimes coma. Secondly, dehydration could contribute to Ms. Blake’s bed ridden state. Dehydration can cause weakness and fatigue when the body does not have an adequate amount of water. Dehydration can be linked to DKA.