Decubiti, also called pressure ulcers, is a significant quality care issue. Decubiti are ulcers that occur due to prolonged tissue compression. They are affected by humidity, heat, blood circulation, and the state of the patient’s tissues (De Los Santos, 2021). Despite a long history of research on the issue of pressure ulcer prevention, this problem is still influential in health care (Baernholdt et al., 2020). Pressure ulcers often affect the older generation, forced to lie because of various health problems, overweight patients, and those having circulatory problems. The appearance of ulcers can lead to infections and worsen patients’ conditions. Subsequently, they also cause significant losses to the health system, harm the image of the medical institution, and undermine confidence in specialists. Despite the danger of pressure ulcers, they are preventable, and nurses play a crucial role in this process.
Several measures can help prevent the appearance of decubiti, and their implementation is significantly dependent on nurses. They need to change the position of lying patients or patients in chairs every 1-2 hours. These employees can also perform regular skin assessments to notice any signs of ulcers (De Los Santos, 2021). Documentation of the patient’s position and skin examination results also plays an important role (De Los Santos, 2021). At the same time, studies prove the effectiveness of measures and compliance with them depend on the competencies and knowledge of nurses (Baernholdt et al., 2020; De Los Santos, 2021). Therefore, nurses can also contribute to solving the problem by improving their skills and continuing their education. These specialists can also conduct research on the issue to introduce evidence-based practices and develop interventions to solve the problem in their workplace.
References
Baernholdt, M., Yan, G., Hinton, I. D., Cramer, E., & Dunton, N. (2020). Effect of preventive care interventions on pressure ulcer rates in a national sample of rural and urban nursing units: Longitudinal associations over 4 years. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 105, 1-19. Web.
De Los Santos, M. (2021). Pressure injury prevention in long-term care. American Nurse Journal, 16(7), 6-11.