Ulcer Prevention, Capstone Project Example

P – Individuals between the ages of 18 to 55 who have been hospital in-patients for more than seven days and have experienced a moderate case of hospital acquired pressure ulcers.

I – Increased nurse attention to patients who remain in bed at least 75% of their day, turning and repositioning every 2 hours while in bed, using topical medications and providing enhanced nutrition following the report of pain.

C – The percentage of patients with bedsores after the intervention is applied for six months will be compared to the percentage of patients with bedsores at baseline; prior to the intervention, all patients will have received the standard of care, which is treatment following the report of pain.

O – The percentage of patients with bedsores will decrease by 25% at the end of the 6 month period.

PICOT Question: Can the amount of individuals between the ages of 18 to 55 who have been hospital in-patients for more than seven days and have experienced a moderate case of hospital acquired pressure ulcers be reduced by 25% at the end of a 6 month period as compared to their status at baseline if nurses reposition these individuals every 2 hours while in bed and for patients who remain in bed least 75% of their day?

Pressure ulcers are a common problem at my health care institution because many patients remain bedridden for long hours. It is therefore necessary to determine which regulation standards could be applied to ensure that pressure ulcers are prevented for all patients. Ultimately, this requires enhanced nurse attention to patients. Currently, nurses rotate conscious patients upon request and rotate unconscious patients every few hours. However, it would be helpful to develop a standard of care that requires nurses to help patients shift every two hours to prevent the development of these sores. While pressure ulcers do not cause any immediate threat to life, they are painful and common. Studies have shown that approximately 16% of patients are impacted by bed sores at a given time (Barker et al., 2012). Since all pressure ulcer cases are preventable, it would be beneficial for local health care organizations to implement a more stringent policy with patient treatment in this regard. Ultimately, this will improve the quality of patient care that these individuals receive.

References

Barker AL, Kamar J, Tyndall TJ, White L, Hutchinson A, Klopfer N, Weller C. (2012). Implementation of pressure ulcer prevention best practice recommendations in acute care: an observational study. International Wound Journal, 313-320.