Research Health Promotion And Maintenance Of Health

Health Promotion and Maintenance of Health
Name
Institution
Date
Introduction
Nurses play a significant role in health promotion and health maintenance practice through early detection of healthcare problems and implementing strategies to promote good health (NCLEX-RN Test Plan, 2016). Accordingly, minimizing the high rates of surgical site infections among diabetic patients requires appropriate care approaches that involve early detection using a multi-disciplinary process. Nurses play a crucial role during the recovery process, more so within the first weeks after surgery. Nurses need to work with other health care professionals in a multidisciplinary team (Gomes et al., 2014).
To reduce SSI incidences among diabetic patients, a comprehensive program should be initiated that involves standardized care practices starting from the admission process up to the time of discharge. A surgical care team needs to be established to analyze existing gaps and develop an appropriate action plan for the identified areas of improvement. A team –based approach is the best care approach because it will utilize existing skills through teamwork tapping on individual strengths and skills (Shah et al., 2014).

Description of the problem
The rates of hospital –acquired infection have greatly reduced. However, the number of patients acquiring surgical site infection is still high. Approximately 127,880 surgical site infections occur among diabetic patients. Surgical site infection is the leading cause of a high mortality rate among hospitalized patients, especially after surgery (Ovaska et al., 2013).
Numerous factors contribute to increased risk of surgical patients acquiring surgical site infection. Some factors are procedural-related like lack of standard protocols for diabetic patients and reduced levels of supervision among other factors. The most important period after surgery is when patients are being discharged from hospital (Ovaska et al., 2013). Most patients are at a higher risk of acquiring infection because of reduced levels of supervision and lack of knowledge on how to manage wounds after surgery. Inadequate discharge procedures contribute to post –operative complication like surgical site infections. Patients with diabetes are at a higher risk of acquiring infection due to the nature of the disease. Managing SSI among diabetic patient can be challenging, particularly when no standard protocols for surgical patients are in place (Ovaska et al., 2013).
Procedure-related factors combined with several complications experienced by these patients make diabetic patients more susceptible to infections more so after surgery compared to non-diabetic patients. Diabetic patients are known to develop poor wound healing process when they acquire an infection (Wukich et al., 2014). Treating diabetic patients with surgical site infections have posed as a challenge to a health care professional. Lower extremity infection experienced by diabetic patient's results in 80 percent of limb loss due to amputation (Wukich et al., 2014).
The mortality rate associated with diabetes for those who have undergone lower extremity amputation is higher compared to non-diabetic patients. Research studies reveal that one in four diabetic patients develop a peripheral vascular disease and might require amputation. Patients who undergo amputation have co-morbidities due to factors like diabetes (Gomes, et al., 2014).
Hyperglycemia among surgical patient can be life threatening medical problem that results in higher mortality rates compared non-glycemic patients. More than 40 percent of admitted patients with high glucose levels are five-time likely result to high die while hospitalized, hence, patients with diabetes stay in the hospital longer and require more intensive care (Gomes, et al., 2014).
Statistics reveal that 79 percent of deaths among surgical patients are caused by SSI mostly because of procedure-related factors, microbial and other patient-related factors. Most of these factors result in longer hospital stay during the recovery process, increasing patient's chances of acquiring surgical site infection during the post-operative process (Wukich et al., 2014).
It is important to develop a comprehensive program to cater for patients during the three important stages of operation, these are the pre, peri and post-operative period. A surgical care team needs to be established to develop an appropriate action plan for identifying areas of improvement (Gomes, et al., 2014). Health care providers need to understand some of these challenges when dealing with surgical patients and how to prevent them. Surgical patients require close monitoring to manage the infection properly. That is why adopting collaborative practices will offer quality care to meet patient's needs (Wukich et al., 2014).
Patient population
Surgical patients with diabetes are more likely to acquire infection from procedures as compared to no diabetic patients. Hyperglycemia is often the major cause associated with surgical infections. Some infections are common among diabetic patient because their immune response caused by chronic hyperglycemia (Shah et al., 2014). Diabetic patients experience 21 percent more infections compared to the general population more so during the few weeks after surgery. It is important to maintain good blood sugar levels during operation (Shah et al., 2014). Unlike other patients, diabetic patients take more time to heal, hence requires a longer hospital stay after major surgery. After surgery, diabetic patients require close monitoring to make sure their blood sugar continues to be well controlled to avoid any complications (Shah et al., 2014).
Proposed solution to address the problem
A comprehensive program should be initiated that involves all phases of surgical care from admission to discharge period. A surgical care team needs to be established to perform a gap analysis and develop an appropriate action plan to identify areas of improvement (Al-Niaimi, et al., 2015). SSI prevention needs to extend beyond the surgical room; other important prevention strategies include taking part in tasks like adherence to diet recommendations, proper medication and regular exercise (Al-Niaimi, et al., 2015).
Goals
The goal of the comprehensive program is to conduct a comprehensive analysis and develop an action plan that identifies and prioritize areas of improvement. The analysis process will focus on different infection prevention strategies, including glycemic control, timing of antibiotics, and standard protocol for surgical patients, including glucose testing procedures among key areas (Al-Niaimi, et al., 2015).
Barriers
There are several barriers when caring for surgical patients more so for those with diabetes. Cultural barriers can affect like patients’ diets, hence affecting patient’s health outcomes. Dietary practices are mostly influenced by culture (Al-Niaimi et al., 2015). Patients will fail to adhere to dietary recommendations due to cultural practices. Cultural beliefs and practices lead to frequent consumption or exclusion of certain foods might affect the patients during recovery process (Al-Niaimi, et al., 2015).
Cultural beliefs can influence patients’ attitude, some patients develop negative attitude towards certain medical procedures or medical personnel. Language barrier due to differences in ethnicity might affect the treatment process. In some cases, patients with strong cultural beliefs where gender is a priority, might refuse treatment from the opposite gender, hence affecting patient treatment (Al-Niaimi, et al., 2015).
A key consideration to overcome cult...