Effectiveness of Risk Assessment in Preventing Pressure Ulcer Research Paper

Effectiveness of Risk Assessment in Preventing Pressure Ulcer - Research Paper Example The objective of the study will be as follows: To assess whether incorporating risk assessment in nursing practice can reduce the prevalence of pressure ulcers; Establish whether risk assessment can reduce the overall preventive measures used on a patient Investigate whether the detection of pressure ulcers in its early stages could reduce its severity and prevent other illnesses from developing. Background Pressure ulcers are local injuries to skin and/or underlying tissues due to pressure from an object pressing and/or rubbing against the skin. Pressure usually leads in insufficient blood flow and occurs mostly in bony areas such as the sacrum, coccyx, hips, and heels. Insufficient blood supply can lead to death of skin cells leading to the formation of an ulcer. In the US, the prevalence of pressure ulcers varies among states widely, with some states such as Ontario recording incidence rates of 53% in poorly managed healthcare institutions (Clarke, Bradley, & Whytock, 2005).... The staff will also be trained on early detection of the injuries. c) Comparison Data on patients at risk from developing pressure ulcer will be collected before and after training. The data will also include the number of patients who will develop ulcers over a four-week period before and after the training intervention. Data collected after nursing staff have undergone training will be compared to that collected before the training using various statistical analyses to determine whether there was a significant decline in the number of patients at risk of developing ulcers. d) Outcome Results of the analysis will also indicate whether training of nursing personnel in the assessment of pressure ulcer risk is effective in reducing the number of patients developing pressure ulcers. e) Time The study will run for a period of three months. Data on the number of patients developing ulcers and those at risk will be collected for a period of four weeks followed by training of personnel. Dat a will be collected again after training for a period of four weeks. Critique of Literature Clinical studies have shown that development of pressure ulcer during hospitalization can be alleviated by adopting appropriate mitigation measures (Severens, Hobraken, Duivenvoorden, & Frederiks, 2002; Vanderwee, Clark, Dealey, Gunningberg, & Defloor, 2007). These measures can include the development of methods and ways of determining risk factors. Early action can alleviate pain and improve quality of life among persons at risk or those already affected. Healthcare institutions can also benefit from early detection of pressure ulcers by reducing fiscal and time expenditure on the care and treatment of patients. Clarke et al. (2005) mention that pressure ulcers directly kill at least