Background For my practice I was fortunate to be able to work at the Bethany in Cochrane. This facility was well kept and has much of the equipment to properly and holistically care for their residents. While in practice, I was able to help with a variety of tasks, including morning care and bed making. An essential element of morning care was a skin assessment, typically to look for bruises, dry spots, and most importantly, ulcers. Ulcers are painful and can decrease quality of life (Ricci, 2013). Skin breakdown is typically caused by moisture, skin pH, microorganisms, and friction (Flynn, 2011). The use of stretchy polyester cotton blend sheets at the facility led to the inquiry of skin integrity and the influence of fabrics on aging skin. I began to wonder if fabric breathability make that much of a difference, which lead me to the question of fabrics and facts. Does the use of polyester sheets, cotton sheets, or cotton polyester blend sheets decrease the risk of skin breakdown in long term …show more content…
For this study researchers assessed 32 different fabrics made of polyester, cotton, viscose fibers, polypropylene, and a blend of the fabrics to determine the thermal conductivity, the wicking ability, the breathability of the fabric, and the fabrics ability to absorb water (Basal & Ilgaz, 2009). In order to collect accurate data researchers used an Alambeta thermos tester, a specialized machine to measure heat and moisture. In this study, polyester and cotton alone caused higher thermal resistance than a cotton polyester blend (Basal & Ilgaz, 2009). A strait cotton or polyester blend was found to be better at wicking away moisture, which is one of the main causes of skin breakdown (Basal & Ilgaz, 2009). In the conclusion of the study the researchers determined that channeled polyester was the best choice for bedsheets due to combined factors (Basal & Ilgaz,
King Tut's died because he had a diseases on his left foot and he also had malaria a diseases an insect that carries. The scientists found out when they did a CT scan which occured in 2005. They found out that King Tut had a broken leg that never got healthy, these findings explain why he had to use 130 walking sticks and canes that were discovered with Tut's
I have been working as an NP for two years with home bound adults and geriatric patients, and it is very common to provide treatment for pressure ulcer/skin breakdown/ bedsore. Many of these patients develop the skin break down after just a short hospital stay, while others develop it in the home environment. Among the common factors that contribute to pressure ulcers are debility, immobility and poor nutritional intake. Pressure ulcers have been a significant health problem, especially among the geriatric population (Jaul, E. (2010).
While University Hospital is already on the brink of completely preventing pressure ulcers I would still recommend implementing all of the current practices but also add new additions to the team. Currently, we have a wound care team that diligently treats at risk and affected patients. Adding a nutritionist into the team to guarantee treatment from within along with prescribed medications. This will make the team and the strategies multidisciplinary. In addition to that, each treatment should be customized for each patient in regards to cost options and best treatment for their health. The project would also have to be performed repetitively without error to ensure that it is actually helpful. Patients’ skin should continue to be examined thoroughly in common places where ulcers could arise, the standardized pressure ulcer risk assessment should be used, and the proper care should be distributed once evaluated. The team should continue to record its progress and also provide company update emails to inform the facility, as well as send the appropriate data to the higher ups for public posting.
In the present day of technology virtual reality is becoming a new trend. The ability to explore places without going there for real. Ray Bradbury famous author of predictive science fiction wrote a short story on the use of technology in such a way. The Veldt by Ray Bradbury tells the story of a family of four, two kids and their parents. The story focuses on a piece of technology known as the nursey which create virtual scenery for the kids, but the parents begin to suspect something wrong is going on with it. Ray Bradbury does a fantastic job of conveying the sense of detachment of the family due to the presence of the nursey and the house’s technology. The Veldt does good job of satirizing technology and its consequence on family interaction or human interaction in general.
While nurses encounter patients with pressure ulcers in home care and acute care settings, they are mainly a problem with elderly adults in long term care facilities. This is because of decreased sensory perception, decreased activity and mobility, skin moisture from incontinence, poor nutritional intake, and friction and shear (Stotts and Gunningberg, 2007).
Even in the hospital setting while in Basildon Hospital Stroke Rehabilitation (Lister Ward) and in Mountnessing Court Billericay (The Mental Health Placement), I have found caring for patients with open wounds very interesting and diverse. Considering my interests in wound care, I slowly realised following this career path is what would suit me.
2005). Exposure to the contamination can lead to future health issues. For instance, the development to brain tumors, brain cancers, kidney cancer, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, and leukemia as well as reproductive effects such as birth defects, fetal death, and intrauterine growth retardation. This is just one of the many problematic issues pertaining materials used for clothing.
I have significantly developed my skill in wound care assessment and dressing, in developing this skill I now recognize the importance of documenting each dressing. Morison (2001) supports this in saying that by detailing pressure ulcer assessment it provides a basis for deciding the effectiveness of the current treatment.
According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), 2.5 million patients are affected by pressure ulcers and incur costs anywhere from $9.1 billion to $11.6 billion per year in the United States (AHRQ, 2014). As of October 1, 2008, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will not reimburse hospitals for cases in which the pressure ulcer was acquired after admission (CMS, 2008). Because of this high cost, the number of patients affected each year, and insurances no longer reimbursing hospital acquired pressure ulcers (HAPU), an accurate skin assessment upon admission is critical to reduce costs, ease pain in patients, and lower incidences of pressure ulcers. This paper will address what leadership and management skills and functions are required of a wound care nurse who identifies a problem with the accuracy of skin assessments on newly admitted patients.
Pressure ulcers are a problem and can lead to poor patient outcomes as well as hospital fines. Evidence based studies have shown that “the average cost of care in an acute care hospital for a patient with a stage III or stage IV pressure ulcer reported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is $43,180” (Jackson, 2008). Pressure ulcers and other skin breakdowns are among the most significant adverse events causing distress for patients and their care givers and compromising patients’ recovery from illness or injury (Gardiner, 2008). It is the tasks of nurses to ensure prevention of these complications is part of the daily care regimen.
Skin integrity is an important concept that’s nurses assess on their patients. A key skill in nursing practice is to frequently assess the skin for possible breakdown or decreased skin integrity. Skin assessments should be conducted thoroughly once a shift and frequently reassessed for any signs of change. Skin discrepancies may be the first sign of an underlying issue. Early detection of any breakdown can help to implement interventions sooner. Unfortunately, unless there is a major skin discrepancy, skin issues can easily get overlooked, specifically in documentation and report. The focus of this paper is to research new skin integrity assessments to improve documentation effect and accuracy, resulting in decreased prevalence of skin breakdown in hospitalized patients. Topics discussed include reviewing current practices and new skin assessment techniques that decrease the prevalence of skin breakdown and pressure ulcers.
As cited by Jarvis (2012, p.203), “the skin is the sentry that guards the body from environmental stresses and adapt it to other environmental influences.” Maintaining the elderly patient’s skin integrity requires a holistic care approach. As a nurse, one of our best practices is performing a thorough skin assessment of the whole body of our patients. A detailed head-to-toe skin assessment and clear documentation can help the interdisciplinary team in generating individualize plan of care. I perform a thorough assessment by inspecting the patient’s skin color, temperature, texture, moisture, and for presence of wounds. I ensure that the information I obtained from the skin inspection is clearly documented in the patient’s chart and plan of care, and any skin changes are communicated to the physician or nurse practitioner.
Working in a healthcare domain means providing the most effective and beneficial care for the incompetent patients. Particularly, to those who needs intimate nursing assistance such as dressing, bathing, eating, toileting and skin care activities ( Wurster 2007).This is especially true if the person is mentally, emotionally, and physically dependent like the clients in nursing homes. Nurses, health care assistants or support workers and other health care providers ought to educate themselves for improving quality of care and exceeding specific benchmarks in regards to pressure sores ( Wurster 2007). All the same the basic
A meaningful event from my clinical experience was during week six when one of my colleague and I along with the RN performed a wound care procedure on one of my client who had pressure ulcers on her coccyx area and wound on the right foot. It was my first time doing wound care on a client who has severe wound type. Client is a 90 years old female who has been admitted to the unit for Osteomyelitis, it is an infection of the bone, caused by bacteria breaking into the body’s tissues and entering the bloodstream through an open wound (LeMone, p.1382). The client said a dog bit her foot at a park few years ago and that’s how she got the wound. Client has a wound care dressing order that needs to be changed daily with Betadine soaked gauze for all areas,
Generations ahead of us only had a tiny wardrobe, where clothes were not washed every day. In our generation, fast fashion is in. It’s ok to have multiple shirts or shoes of the same color. It’s actually ok to throw away unwanted apparel. Apparel companies are beginning to focus on sustainable fashion, also known as eco fashion. Apparel, fashion, and textiles is the most polluting industry in the world. Every stage, that a garment goes through, uses up and threatens our resources.