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Evidence Based Nursing Practice: Pressure Ulcers

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Evidence Based Nursing Practice: Pressure Ulcers

Jane Smith

Research and Scholarship for Evidence-Based Practice

March 10, 2010

Evidence-Based Nursing Practice: Pressure Ulcers

The primary goals for conducting nursing research are to generate new knowledge to promote positive outcomes for patients, enhance quality and cost-effectiveness of care, improve the healthcare delivery system, and validate the credibility of the nursing profession through evidence-based practice (Schmidt & Brown, 2012). The purpose of this paper is to explore the practice-related problem of pressure ulcers and the importance of the problem in the nursing profession.
Practice Setting Problem Pressure ulcers are a serious concern in caring for adults in all types of settings (Stotts & Gunningberg, 2007). I have personally observed and cared for numerous patients with debilitating, painful decubitus wounds to their bodies both in long-term care and acute care settings. I will never forget a patient that I took care of at a long-term care facility; even after pain medications she would plead that she would rather die than have me change her pressure ulcer dressing. It is heartbreaking to know that the majority of these pressure ulcers could have been prevented had the correct measures taken place. It is essential for all healthcare providers to examine and explore the evidence based guidelines and information regarding pressure ulcers. This is important in healthcare so that the number of pressure ulcers can be reduced and patient outcomes can be better.
Importance of the Clinical Problem and its Significance to Nursing Practice In addition to being severely painful at times, pressure ulcers can affect every aspect of a patient’s life. They can compromise a person’s mental, emotional, and social well-being (Stotts &

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