The chosen topic – pressure ulcer prevention in hospitalized patients – remains a relevant subject in the discussion of increasing patient safety and quality of life. The general population in this context includes all hospitalized patients since people of all ages and genders are at risk of developing pressure ulcers in a hospital setting (PU) (Gaspar et al., 2019). The examined intervention concerns multiple prevention programs, which refer to complex approaches to healthcare. In the context of PU, multiple interventions imply a combination of several strategies, such as repositioning, skincare, and comfortable dressing, used together (Gaspar et al., 2019). Moreover, this method complements traditional prevention methods with indirect procedures, including education of nurses about PU, focus on teamwork, assessment of potential risks of PU development among patients, and other techniques (Gaspar et al., 2019). Hence, the final project focuses on a complex approach to preventing PU.
Consequently, it is crucial to examine how multiple interventions perform compared to single programs. A single intervention is merely an approach that uses only one technique of PU prevention (Gaspar et al., 2019). For instance, it might be beneficial to examine the prevalence of PU in patients who undergo only preventive skincare compared to patients who are treated with a complex approach of several strategies. Lastly, the outcome part of the PICO question examines the overall effectiveness of multiple interventions. The findings might impact nursing practice by providing tangible evidence for or against the usage of complex approaches in PU prevention. In turn, this data might be used in the future for evidence-based practices focusing on the topic of pressure ulcers. After examining the critical elements of the topic, the proposed PICO question is: How effective (O) are multiple intervention programs (I) compared to single strategies (C) in preventing pressure ulcers in hospitalized patients (P)?
Reference
Gaspar, S., Peralta, M., Marques, A., Budri, A., & Gaspar de Matos, M. (2019). Effectiveness on hospital‐acquired pressure ulcers prevention: A systematic review. International Wound Journal, 16(5), 1087-1102.