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Pressure Ulcers in Critically Ill Patients
Introduction
The article Pressure ulcers in critically ill patients: Incidence and associated factors is written by Borghardt, Prado, Bicudo, Castro, and Bringuente (2016, p. 460). It appeared in the Brazilian journal of nursing just several months ago. The work is focused on the issue that is faced by many patients who cannot move properly; pressure ulcers, in particular. Professionals paid attention to those cases that are observed in intensive care units. They discussed risk factors that streamline the development of pressure ulcers and the identification of this problem with the help of risk assessment scales.
Analysis
Borghardt et al. conducted a qualitative research study to find out what influences pressure ulcers and what they can lead to with the help of a cohort study that was used by the scientists to discuss quantitative relationships (2016). In this case, it focused on the patients from the intensive care unit mainly. The study was conducted at the University Hospital of Vitória. It lasted for 4 months and included 77 patients.
The purpose of the study was to examine the issue of pressure ulcers, emphasizing the reasons why it occurs and defining the ways, in which it can be assessed and prevented. The main objective of this research article was to identify the incidence of pressure ulcers and describe the factors associated with its development in adults hospitalized in intensive care units of a university hospital in Vitória, EspÃrito Santo (Borghardt et al., 2016, p. 460).
The sample population included in the patients older than 18 years who did not suffer from the discussed issue as they were admitted to the hospital in Vitória. Those individuals who had no metabolic profile laboratory tests were not included. That was a convenience sample, as professionals defined the healthcare facility they wanted to discuss and approached all people within the limit. The data was gathered from admission to discharge or death.
The socio-demographic and metabolic characteristics of the sample were investigated so that the authors received an opportunity to define what populations were more vulnerable. In this way, the sample was divided into two groups according to their age (under 60 and over 60), sex (males and females), skin color (white and non-white), and unit (intermediate and intensive). In addition to that, the emphasis was put on the length of stay (less or more than 10 days), type of admission, clinical diagnosis.
Less critical variables were also discussed even though they did not influence statistics. They included body mass index, the presence of diabetes, smoking, type of diet, usage of mechanical ventilation, noradrenalin, and sedation. Finally, professionals considered health outcomes, the level of hemoglobin, hematocrit, lymphocyte cell count, albumin, and transferrin. The Waterlow and Braden scales were used to identify the presence of the pressure ulcers.
Conclusion
To protect human research subjects, the authors referred to the Research Ethics Committee. It was the universitys committee that dealt with such resources. Unfortunately, it is not mentioned in the article whether the sample and their families were informed about research and its peculiarities. Considering general rules, it cannot be denied that the researchers informed the sample or/and ones family members. In this way, the patients and their nearest and dearest received a chance to get to know what was going to happen and what the purpose of their work was. What is more critical, the sample remained anonymous, which ensured their protection.
Reference
Borghardt, A., Prado, T., Bicudo, S., Castro, D., & Bringuente, M. (2016). Pressure ulcers in critically ill patients: Incidence and associated factors. Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem, 69(3), 460-467. Web.
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