Discussion: Prevalent and preventable injury

PICOT QUESTION: Does the required education on the Braden scale increase nursing interventions for Adult patients on an acute care floor at risk of developing pressure ulcers during hospitalization?

Currently, most hospitals are faced with a clinical problem of acquired pressure ulcers. According to Pittman et al (2015), hospital-acquired pressure ulcers remain one of the persistent and relevant issues that need to be addressed in long-term hospital stay patients. Health care is attempting to implement evidence-based protocols, though patients continue to suffer from this prevalent and preventable injury. Health care institutions are facing a big challenge for the patients with this acquired condition because hospital bills continue to balloon and at the same time insurance companies stopped paying for this condition. Research shows that pressure ulcer is preventable; though, in spite of hospitals striving to integrate evidence-based approaches to curb the issue, it continues to remain a serious issue for long-term hospital stay patients. This PICOT statement this research paper is proposing to use is a Braden Scale which can be used by nurses in their practice to reduce hospital-acquired pressure injuries which will reduce the patient stay in the hospital as well as the bills burden in the hospital.

Evidence-Based Solution

According to Engels et al (2016), “the importance of using evidence-based practice in long-term care hospitals to reduce prevalent pressure ulcers is to promote a safe cost-effective outcome for our patients, families, and the healthcare group. Research needs to be conducted and qualitative data collected when designing an evidence-based solution to hospital-acquired injuries”. Despite a lot of research being conducted from the past years concerning acquired pressure ulcers, many patients continue to get the disease. Evidence-based practice allows the nurse to get pooled in a team of experts where interdisciplinary collaboration becomes the ultimate objective for nurses to practice autonomy that enhances change in the nursing field based on data. “The nursing research utilizes qualitative and quantitative logical methods and an EBP approach aimed at around the study and change of patient consideration, understanding consideration frameworks, and patient results” (Mervis & Phillips, 2019). This PICOT question will effectively apply the Braden Scale to see how it can positively impact long-term hospital in reducing pressure ulcers injuries.

Nursing Intervention

When starting a nursing research project, one has to consider a variety of factors. First, a nurse needs to look at the available intervention that would assist the patient in managing pressure ulcer injury on an adult acute care floor, particularly when using Braden Scale (Engels et al., 2016). For example, a nurse can initiate an intervention of training about the Braden Scale to make sure every day has the full knowledge of the tool and making sure that pressure injury prevention techniques are used when the Braden Scale is at a certain score. Discussion: Prevalent and preventable injury

Patient Care

According to Mervis, & Phillips (2019), “Nursing intervention techniques that are used to prevent pressure injuries in the hospital include placing silicone dressings on patient’s coccyx bones, avoiding moisture, RN skin checks to assess the skin every shift, turning repositioning the patient every two hours. These are only a few and with the education on the Braden Scale medical caretakers will have a more note worthy comprehension of how to better help their patients”.

Health Care Agency

Pittman et al (2015) argue that the health care agency’s primary role is to fund long-term care hospitals is providing safety, quality and effective communication between patients and nurses and improving overall healthcare services. An example of an agency responsible for ensuring patient’s health concerns are looked into is The National Institute of Nursing Research and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality are a few (Berlowitz, VanDeusen Lukas & Parker, 2015). In the event, this research project receives great feedback it can perhaps get the financial support to attain the PICOT statement.

Nursing Practice

Whitehead (2008) stated that nursing practice is an important phenomenon that should be used by nurses in long-term hospitals when generating knowledge about their role and the overall practice of care to patients with acquiring pressure ulcers, as well as to add to nursing knowledge that every nurse should be adept with. A nurse should contemplate about the nursing standards and policies that healthcare utilizes when providing patient care. These policies were a result of research findings that affect nursing practice.

References

Berlowitz, D., VanDeusen Lukas, C., & Parker, V. (2015). Preventing pressure ulcers in hospitals: a toolkit for improving quality of care. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Engels, D., Austin, M., McNichol, L., Fencl, J., Gupta, S., & Kazi, H. (2016). Pressure ulcers: factors contributing to their development in the OR. AORN Journal, 103(3), 271-281.

Mervis, J. S., & Phillips, T. J. (2019). Pressure ulcers: prevention and management. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.