Evidence-Based Project Implementation Issues: Pressure Ulcers
Evidence-based research as opposed to evidence-based practice is defined as "research [that] is generating new knowledge about a phenomenon or validating existing knowledge…Although evidence-based practice may have opinion -- expert opinion, but opinion still -- woven in, research is built in such a way to avoid bias" ("Evidence-based practice and avoiding confusion," 2014). Experiments must have controlled variables to ensure that extraneous data does not influence the result. In the case of my DNP project, the use of two-hour turning and positioning to decrease pressure ulcers in elderly bed-bound patients in nursing homes, one clear issue is the extent to which the patient's poor health could influence outcomes. Nursing home patients can have a variety of issues which could impact the results and both experimental and control groups must be carefully balanced. "More than 100 risk factors of pressure ulcers have been identified in the literature. Some physiological (intrinsic) and nonphysiological (extrinsic) risk factors that may place adults at risk for pressure ulcer development include diabetes mellitus, peripheral vascular disease, cerebral vascular accident, sepsis, and hypotension" (Lyder & Ayello 2008).
This ideally requires a large sample size to limit the influence of extraneous variables. Obtaining the permission of multiple nursing homes to implement the experiment could pose a logistical hurdle, however. Socially, there may be resistance to allowing patients to be the subjects of research both by staff and also...
Pressure Ulcers in the Elderly During Hospital Stays Pressure ulcers are potentially fatal skin lesions that develop especially in frail, elderly patients on bony or cartilaginous areas such as the sacrum, elbows, and ankles. Within acute care in the United States, the incidence of pressure ulcers lies between 0.4% and 38%. The incidence within long-term and home care is significantly lower while intensive care units report that 8% to 40% of
Pressure Ulcers in the Elderly Gifty Appiah Dr. Judi Kuric DNP Project Final Premise DNP Project Question Will Every Two Hourly Turning and Positioning Decrease Pressure Ulcers in the Elderly Bed Bound Population in Nursing Home. Will Every Two Hourly Turning and Positioning Decrease the Pressure Ulcers in the Elderly Bed Bound Population in Nursing Homes. Pressure ulcers are a common cause of immobility among the elderly, which results in immense pain, suffering, and substantial costs with charges
Pressure Ulcers/Case Study Bedsores are also known as pressure ulcers. They are lesions that are primarily caused when soft tissues are pressed against bone for a long period of time, restricting blood flow to the area. These often occur when a patient is immobile or reclining in a recovery bed for a long period of time. They are common on the hips, elbows, knees, ankles and even the back of the
Evidence-based studies that delineate how to manage and treat pressure ulcers have determined that the most effective approaches include keeping the wound moist, appropriate repositioning, using support surfaces, and proper nutrition. Non-traditional approaches, including electrical stimulation, hyperbaric oxygen, growth factors and skin equivalents, and negative pressure wound therapy, are also showing promising results (Resources for Managing Hospital-Acquired Conditions, 2008). Organizational level activities for dealing with hospital-acquired pressure ulcers include: developing and adhering
Third, lack of attention to evidence-based practice can lead to inconsistent delivery of care services. Evidence-based practice relates to almost every aspect of health care at every stage of a client's relationship with the institution. For example, evidence-based practice informs the types of questions asked during the diagnostic procedures and might even impact the diagnosis itself (Bennett & Bennett, 2000). Evidence-based practice impacts the methods by which infections are prevented
Pressure ulcers are a serious risk for all bedridden patients, particularly the elderly. Ideally, assessing the patient's risk for developing pressure ulcers before the ulcers occur is the most effective way to mitigate risk. The quantitative analysis by Freitas & Alberti (2013) was designed to determine if one of the most commonly-used assessment tools, the Braden Scale, was a useful method of assessing a patient's risk for pressure ulcers in
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