NURS 8502 Week 10 Discussion Impact of the Problem Sample
Pressure Ulcers Prevention in an Assisted Living Facility workshop
In the first week of this course, it was identified that pressure ulcers in the assisted facility living workshop are a major issue of concern. Pressure ulcers remain a major health problem affecting approximately 3 million adults worldwide (Guzman et al., 2018). Even though pressure ulcers can affect anyone, the people confined to bed or sitting in a chair and those in wheelchairs for long periods, such as those living in assisted facility workshops, are at greater risk of pressure ulcers than the ordinary population (Guzman et al. 2018).
Impact of Pressure ulcers in an Assisted Living Facility workshop
Pressure ulcers are most common on the bony parts of the body like the base of the spine, the heels, elbows, and hips. They usually develop gradually but can sometimes form in a few hours. People affected by pressure ulcers are likely to experience painful and adverse health outcomes related to health-related quality of life (Al et al., 2020). Pressure ulcers result in increased emotional and mental problems such as stress on wound healing. Physical function is also impacted by mobility limitations (Guzman et al., 2018).
According to Lavallee et al. (2019), pressure ulcers (PUs) are classified as some of the iatrogenic sources of additional morbidity for hospitalized patients, with a prevalence rate of 4% to 49% worldwide. As a major healthcare issue of concern to the organization, nursing practice, and healthcare system, pressure ulcers increase the cost of treatment. They may result in a longer length of time spent in the hospital (Al et al., 2020).
Lasting Impact of Educational Program
The proposed and implemented intervention is an educational program focused on increasing knowledge and awareness of pressure ulcers and prevention techniques among healthcare professionals in an assisted living facility. Through educational programs, nurses will have sufficient knowledge and awareness of evidence-based practices and product selection to manage and treat pressure ulcers using prevention practices such as skin inspection, support surfaces, and repositioning. The nurses will be competent in implementing proper nutrition and hydration, applying dressings, and regularly changing their patients’ positions to enhance pressure ulcer prevention efforts (Al et al., 2020). The nurses will also have a high confidence level to implement pressure ulcer prevention activities at the assisted facility living. The overall impact will be a reduced incidence of pressure ulcers, reduced complications, reduced mortality, and reduced cost associated with pressure ulcers (Guzman et al., 2018).
Value Gained from Making Practice Change
Nurses have a great role to play in making practice change. However, a comprehensive understanding of the problem is necessary to determine the gap and what needs to be done. Consequently, literature review, consultation, and interviews with key stakeholders are important in implementing a practice change. A nurse can know the evidence-based practices and products to support practice chan through a literature review of peer review journals. It is also crucial to define SMART objectives and use project management tools such as the Gantt chart to guide the practice change process. Finally, the role of stakeholders in supporting practice change cannot be understated. There is the need to include a faculty advisor, facility director, project site leader, and project mentor. Their contributions to the development of the project are commendable.
References
Al, M. A., Ambani, Z., Al, O. F., Al, S. K., Alhassan, H., & Al, M. A. (2020). The effectiveness of pressure ulcer prevention program: A comparative study. International Wound Journal, 17, 1, 214-219.
Guzman, J. L., McClanahan, R., & Vaughn, S. (2018). Development of guidelines for pressure ulcer prevention. Wounds International, 9, 4, 34-38.
Lavallee, J. F., Gray, T. A., Dumville, J., Cullum, N., Lavallee, J. F., Gray, T. A., Dumville, J., … Cullum, N. (2019). Preventing pressure ulcers in nursing homes using a care bundle: A feasibility study. Health and Social Care in the Community, 27, 4.