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Essay / Pressure ulcer in intensive care patients - 799
As an intensive care nurse, I constantly observe how patients develop pressure ulcers. A bedsore is an area of skin that breaks down due to constant friction and pressure, as well as limitation of movement and being in the same position for a prolonged period of time. Pressure sores commonly occur in the buttocks, elbows, knees, back, shoulders, hips, heels, back of the head, ankles, and any other area with bony prominences. According to Cox, J. (2011) “Pressure ulcers are one of the most underestimated conditions among critically ill patients. Despite the introduction of clinical practice guidelines and advances in medical technology, the prevalence of pressure ulcers among hospitalized patients continues to increase” (p. 364). Patients in critical conditions have many factors that affect their mobility and therefore predispose them to developing pressure ulcers. This issue is important to nursing practice because nurses are the primary care providers for these patients and are responsible for preventing pressure ulcers in patients. Nurses must be aware of the tools and resources available and know the different care delivery techniques to prevent these problems. The aim of this article is to identify possible research questions related to the development of pressure ulcers in intensive care patients and ultimately generate a research question using the PICO model. “The PICO framework and its variants were developed to answer health-related questions” (Davies, K., 2011). Five Research Questions and Analysis For the process of formulating a PICO question, I limited myself to five questions relating to development factors. bedsores. The first question is what role does the environment play in ...... middle of article ......re, 20 (5): 364-374. Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4037/ajcc2011934 Davies, K. S. (2011). Formulating the evidence-based practice question: A review of frameworks. Evidence-Based Library and Information Practice, 6(2), 75-80. Retrieved from https://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/EBLIP/article/viewFile/9741/8144 Ford, S. (2013). List of 12 priorities for study on pressure ulcers identified by British researchers. Retrieved from: http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/wound-care/priorities-for-pressure-ulcer-research-identified/5058364.articleSayar S., Turgut, S., Dogan, H., Ekici, A., Yurtsever, S., Dermirkan, F., Doruk, N., Tsdelen, B. (2009) Incidence of pressure ulcers in at-risk intensive care unit patients according to the Waterlow scale and Factors influencing the development of pressure sores. Journal of Clinical Nursing 18, 765-774.