Nurse driven intervention to prevent pressure ulcers

Nurse Driven Intervention to Prevent Pressure Ulcers Name: Course Code Instructor: Date of Submission Briefly describe the background of the problem. What are the main issues? The role of nurses in the health sector is one that cannot be undermined. Besides offering care for patients, nurses offer intervention services that are meant to prevent the escalation of certain medical condition. Patients, due to the delicate nature of their health are prone to developing complications as the deterioration of the health escalates. Nurses therefore play the crucial role of intervention to prevent other medical conditions from developing (Perry, 2013). One of the most common conditions that majority of patients suffer from is the pressure that emanate from ulcers. A patient who is subjected to pressure is more prone to developing ulcers than ordinary person subjected to the same pressure. This discussion focuses on the nurse driven intervention to prevent pressure ulcers. In discussing this crucial tropic, the PICOT format of analysis shall be employed. What kind of intervention do nurses offer? Pressure ulcers are common among patients between ages of 25 to 42. It is believed that this condition attacks patients who are likely to face other societal responsibilities such as parenting. There are various ways in which nurses can take preventive measures. Ulcers of any nature including those that are caused by pressure will always attack when the nutrition is poor. Ulcers are wounds that form in the stomach lining as result of high levels of acidity. One for, of intervention is to ensure that patients are well hydrated. The lubrication in the walls of the stomach prevents the acid from reacting with the meat that makes up the stomach lining. Lack of lubrication will see an acidity reaction that will consequently lead to ulcers. Proper nutrition is another form intervention. Nurses should ensure that all patients feed properly. Patients having difficulties feeding must be provided with alternative means that will ensure that their stomachs do not remain empty. It is also part of the intervention of nurses to provide proper care to patients so that they do not face pressure when they are still sick. Most of the times, patients experience pressure due to improper care given to them. Nurses must ensure that all patients are comfortable, as this will prevent them from experiencing pressure. Nurses must also ensure that they manage the medication of their patients as it can easily result to ulcers. Any medication whose side effect is the production of excessive acidity should be managed and where possible, an alternative sought. How do pressure ulcers come about? Pressure ulcers as the name suggest is a medical condition that comes as result of a patient experiencing a lot of pressure. This kind of pressure could be either mental or emotional. More often, patients who suffer from pressure ulcers already have pre-existing conditions. These conditions therefore deteriorate when the patient is subjected to any form of pressure. The role of the nurse at this stage is identifying some of the conditions that could easily be triggered and escalate into pressure ulcers. For example, research shows that more women above the age of thirty are more likely to experience pressure ulcers more than their male counterparts of the same age. Similarly, patients who have been diagnosed with chronic illness are at higher risk of suffering from pressure ulcers than patients who have no history of chronic illnesses. Nurses have a responsibility of identifying some of the circumstances that are likely to occasion pressure ulcers. The medical circumstance of each patient varies yet it is important that nurses have a clear understanding of the medical history of each patient (Perry. 2013). This will help the nurses to offer individualized medical care to each patient. This level of intervention therefore involves gathering of all relevant information regarding pressure ulcers. Identifying some of the main causes and taking preventive measures is the main role that nurses play. What diagnostic tests are carried out for pressure ulcers? There are various ways in which pressure ulcers can be diagnosed. The main way is when a patient experiences pain in the stomach periodically. This is especially when they undergo emotional or mental strain. More often, medics argue that it is best to prevent the ulcers from occurring. They therefore take patients through risk assessment tests to establish whether or not they are at a risk of pressure ulcers. Blood and urine tests are the most common forms of diagnosis that are used. Blood tests are used to establish the current state of health of a person thereby identifying the likely risks. On the other hand, urine tests are mainly to establish whether or not the kidneys are in proper function. The results of the test will help reveal those patients who are not suffering from pressure ulcers but are at high risk (Houser, 2010). Preventive measures will therefore be taken to ensure that such patients do not succumb to those risks. More often, the preventive measures are done through recommendation of proper diet. A patient must ensure that they eat and rightly so. This will greatly reduce their chances of suffering from pressure ulcers (Boxer, 2010). In addition, nurses have a role of counseling patients on a proper lifestyle that would prevent them from suffering from pressure ulcers. For instance, nurses should encourage patients to exercise and work out, as this is one of the ways of releasing stress and tension. Encouraging patients to speak share their problems is also part of counseling. People who keep issues to themselves are at higher risk of suffering from pressure ulcers compared to those who shares. What are the possible means of Prediction? This is where nurses seek to establish some of the main causes of ailment. Pressure ulcers as the name suggests a...