New Practice Approaches Through Policy

New Practice Approaches Through Policy One of the major current concerns in health care is the rapidly aging nature of the populations in Western societies today. This is, in general, attributed to developments in medical science and better information regarding personal health choices and activities. Despite this, however, it is also true that aging seldom brings with it a glowing sense of health.

While many people today age better than ever before in human history, the elderly also tend to suffer from an increasing number of conditions, some of which leave them bed bound. Many of these bed bound residents, in addition to their initial conditions, also suffer related ailments such as pressure ulcers. These create not only great physical discomfort and emotional stress, but also great burdens on the health care system in terms of treating such ulcers.

For this reason, it is suggested that policies should be created and/or modified to help nurses implement prevention strategies for bed bound residents in care homes (Mackie and Dunnery, 2008). Niezgoda and Mendez-Eastman (2006) confirm that pressure ulcers create very high costs in terms of both the financial aspect and non-monetary costs. In United States hospitals, for example, 1.6 million pressure ulcers result in an estimated annual cost of $2.2 to $3.6 billion.

The authors point out that this estimate is probably on the low side, as Stage III and Stage IV pressure ulcers require even more costly interventions. In addition, the emotional costs are significant. The authors note that there are not only emotional costs, but also social ones. Persons with pressure ulcers often experience not only physical discomfort, but also a sense of loss in terms of control and independence. There is also a tendency towards isolation when pressure ulcers occur.

The above-mentioned costs, especially in nursing homes, where care should be resident-centered, must be regarded as unacceptable, especially by nursing staff employed to care for residents. There are, however, significant barriers to implementing significant strategies to help residents at risk of suffering pressure ulcers in nursing homes. One significant barrier is significant and consistent research regarding pressure ulcers.

While the causes and treatments of ulcers have received significant attention, as suggested by Niezgoda and Mendez-Eastman (2006), there is a great lack of consistency in the research regarding the effectiveness of prevention strategies. One significant prevention strategy is frequent repositioning. This is a commonly-cited method to help bed bound persons relieve pressure points where ulcers are likely to develop. As proponents of this method, Mackie and Dunnery (2008) suggest an educational strategy, in which patients who are able to do so are taught to reposition themselves.

Such a strategy relieves the pressure on nurses to provide regular (for example 2-hourly) repositioning. This would also relieve the burden on the already strained health care resources available to nursing homes. A study done by Rich et al. (2011), on the other hand, suggests that there is no significant correlation between regular repositioning and the formation of pressure ulcers in bed bound patients. The authors therefore suggest that the allocation of resources towards this strategy should at least be questioned and reconsidered.

Due to the focus of the article, there is a significant lack of discussion relating to other prevention techniques or the potential efficacy of these. Another limitation is the number of patients included. Only two groups in limited locations were included in the study, creating a lack of diversified data. In terms of policy, I would therefore suggest that there be more consistent research on each specific prevention method accepted as common practice today, including 2-hourly repositioning.

Nurses should also be far more involved in these research efforts to increase the efficacy of information flow and knowledge among nursing staff. In addition to theoretical research, nurses should also be required to conduct practical studies within their work environments to ensure that the care given is patient centered and optimal. There is, however, a further significant barrier to such a suggestion. In the United States, and indeed across the Western world, the conditions within nursing homes tend to be less than desirable.

This is the case not only in terms of the quality of care but also in terms of working conditions for nurses. The already critical shortage of care givers in nursing homes creates great difficulties, including a lack of personnel and resources to provide patients with care strategies such as repositioning (Leonard, 2001). Due to the highly complicated nature of this problem, it is unlikely that simply recruiting and appointing more care givers will prove to be more than a band aid on a problem that requires surgery.

There is, for example, a significant lack of competition among nursing homes, stemming from funding and residence policies. This, in turn, has created a lack of accurate information to attract potential customers and employees, which creates a lack of optimal conditions. It is a cyclical problem that needs to be addressed at its roots. In order for residents in nursing homes to receive optimal care to prevent pressure ulcers, it is suggested that the first strategy should be research and education.

Policies should be implemented that require nurses to spend a significant amount of time researching the prevention of.